Dreaming Of You
by TokiDokiIchinose
Summary: It's been said that you have already met your other half in another life. As fate begins to work, you will meet again someday in a different time. It hardly ever happens, and there have been so few cases brought to light about it. It's a rare occurrence, but not one written off as impossible. For Yuuri Katsuki, he dreams about his soulmate without knowing about it.
1. Sleepless Nights

It's been said that you have already met your other half in another life. As fate begins to work, you will meet again someday in a different time. It hardly ever happens, and there have been so few cases brought to light about it. It's a rare occurrence, but not one written off as impossible. For Yuuri Katsuki - even though he doesn't know the reason behind it - he dreams about it. Well, about them. He doesn't even know what he's seeing every night, just that he does. And it hurts. Sometimes less than other nights, like a happy memory, but for the most part it's violent. It's as if he's only being shown the climax of a James Bond movie over and over again. The other oddity to his dreams is that he keeps viewing the "memories" through someone else's eyes. It feels like an invasion of privacy some nights, as if he's watching a couple from behind a door left ajar. He can always feel the different emotion of the person he's seeing the story unravel through, too. The pain, heartbreak, happiness, uneasiness, curiosity, and fright. Always different and always changing. Yet the same person always appear. The character never changes. Tonight is no exception to any of this.

With a startle, Yuuri sat up violently in his bed, sweat glistening as it rolls down him. He turned in his bunk to glance at his roommate and friend, Phichit Chulanont, who still seems to be resting quietly on his side of the room. He took a deep breath and slowly descends from his bed, grabbing his phone from where it was left charging on his desk and shoving it in the pocket of his sweatpants. After checking one last time that his friend is asleep, he slipped through the door of their dorm room and headed to the dorm kitchen shared by everyone in the hall they're staying in. It wasn't a particularly long walk, but he still felt unnerved, waiting for anyone to step out of their room and find him walking down the hallway. Pulling out his phone, Yuuri sighed in defeat at the sudden discovery of the time. 2:26 a.m. Perfect. Minutes later, he reached into fridge and pulling out a cold water from a package of twenty-four. Soon after taking quiet sips of the cool liquid, he felt a vibration of his phone going off in his pocket. Yuuri screwed the cap back on tightly and pulled out his phone once more, a text from Phichit illuminating his screen.

 **Again?**

With an uneasy smile, he quickly replied back to his friend, now sorry that he left the room without saying anything. Phichit is the only one - besides his family of course - who knew of the strange dreams. He had to tell him after he woke up screaming from one of the dreams. Phichit didn't push right away for details, since he found out quickly that Yuuri didn't like that, and simply waited. After he had calmed down, Yuuri explained them, expecting the Thai student to laugh or mock him over the dreams. When he got an encouraging smile back, Yuuri spewed everything he knew about the dreams so far to him. Phichit hung onto his every word. They became friends after that, spilling even secrets that no one knew to each other. He trusts Phichit a lot and found that he feels the same in return for Yuuri.

His phone flashed again, a text inviting him back to the room to talk about it. After a moment of hesitating over the text bubble, he received another text saying he was up anyway and that he would just sleep through his first class to make up for it. Yuuri smiled, almost laughing at how Phichit-like the response is, and sent back an agreeable response. In a better mood than before, Yuuri shoved his phone into his pocket and walked down the hallway towards his room.

Phichit was already waiting for him, legs dangling over the edge of his bed with bright eyes as he entered. Phichit pat the spot next to him on the bed and scooted over to give him more space. Still gripping the water in his hands, Yuuri took the invitation and sat down, throwing himself back onto the bed.

"What was it about this time?" Phichit quizzically gazed at Yuuri's form leaning back on his bed. He always loved hearing the different stories, even though some were pretty explicit in detail. He always told Yuuri the more detailed it was, the more interesting it became.

Yuuri sighed before sitting up on the bed, his index finger pulling at the label on the water bottle sitting in his hands. "Not as bad as the medieval one a few nights ago, but not as great as the Greek-inspired one from last month. It was surprisingly more modern. Terrifying still." When Phichit continued to sit silently, Yuuri decided to continue. "Soldiers this time. We were both fighting. He watched from across the battlefield as I was shot." His right hand traced the spot on his chest where the bullet pierced. The memory was hazy from sleep but painful nonetheless. "He was running towards me as I fell. My vision was slipping, like it does every night whenever he gets close." He's never seen the other person's face. Never has. Whenever they get close to each other, his dream starts fading out. That was the only consistency throughout all the different stories. "He was shouting words." Yuuri squinted in the darkness of the room as if staring at his messy - and blurry because he forgot to put his glasses on he realizes - bed would give him the memory of his dream again. "I can't remember what it was."

"Maybe he was screaming, 'My dear Yuuri, find me already!'" Phichit dramatically rose a hand towards the ceiling and crumpled to the floor from the bed.

Yuuri laughed and tried to pry his friend off the floor. "Shh, you'll wake Seung-gil up again. He threatened to tell the R.A. if it happened again." Phichit dragged Yuuri down with him, both of them sprawling out on the floor laughing.

"Maybe he's out there waiting for you, just like that one dream you had where he snuck out of the castle to meet with you."

Yuuri rolled his eyes and playfully punched him. Unlike Phichit, he didn't think the person he kept seeing in his dreams actually existed along with the side cast that sometimes appeared. His Thai roommate actually believed he would show up someday. "And just like in Cinderella, we'll dance together, fall in love, get married, and I'll leave my evil roommate forever."

"I hope, like in the story, you invite your evil roommate gets to live with you in the castle anyway because you secretly like having him around. It wouldn't be true to the story unless you did that, too." Phichit grinned and sat up on the floor with Yuuri following his lead.

"It depends if Prince Charming will allow it."

"Prince Charming needs my permission to get you first anyway."

Yuuri gently punched him again, a smile still evident on his face. "They're only dreams, Phichit. Probably influenced from movies and shows I watch."

Phichit gave him a look that questioned if he actually believed what he was saying. Annoyingly, he was right. "Sure, Yuuri, because I dream of the same guy sweeping me off my feet or dying in front of me in different settings, too." The sarcasm earned him another punch.

"We should really get back to sleep. It's late, and I know we both have early morning classes." Yuuri stood up and offered a hand to help Phichit up.

After a few more moments dedicated to settling down, they both crashed in their respective beds. Yuuri fell asleep in a better mood, yet unnerved about possibly getting another dream.

.

. . .

.

It isn't until he feels something constantly hitting him that he decides to crack an eye open. When he does, he's unsurprised to find Phichit the one behind it. With a pillow raised above his head, Phichit watches him wake up for a moment before bringing the pillow back down again on his body.

"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty!" He makes a show of checking the nonexistent watch around his wrist. "There's about twenty minutes before your first lecture of the day, and in case you forgot that you have the one teacher who will chew you up and spit you back out, I recommend getting up for the day. Plus your boyfriend is in there. You wouldn't want to miss your opportunity to talk with him." By "his boyfriend," Phichit meant the tennis all-star Viktor Nikiforov, who was definitely not his boyfriend. Not in a million years and not ever. Yuuri had seen him at the beginning of the year, unsure of who he was. Phichit was quick to tell him - he knew practically everyone in the school - that he was the first singles player and captain of their college's tennis team. Viktor was also known as the biggest flirt and most popular man on campus. Go figure. As if none of that was bad enough, Yuuri also found out that he was a senior. A _senior._ He was only a freshman himself, which meant he had a 0% chance to ever talk around him. The only chance he got to share the air around him was the advanced public speaking they shared. Even then they sat on opposite ends of the lecture hall. Yuuri kept his seat far away out of fear.

Apart from the distraction of Viktor's name, the mention of that class had Yuuri darting out of his bed -almost falling to the floor in the process - and running for the bathroom. Phichit balanced the pillow between the crook of his right arm and hip as he watches his friend scramble to get ready. Yuuri runs out of the bathroom in less than a minute and starts rummaging around the few drawers they are given in the dorm room, tearing out different shirts and jeans of a range of colors.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?!" He's a mess, and Phichit can't help but laugh at the sight. Yuuri threw a dark grey shirt over his head and began to struggle into a pair of almost black jeans.

"You didn't ask." He is way more amused than he should be. His answer elicits an annoyed groan from Yuuri, who has managed to get the jeans on and is now fumbling with his shoes.

"Phichit! I have first this morning! Couldn't you have chosen a different class to wake me up so late for?" His words are exasperated and barely English with the speed they're thrown into the air. In an instant, he's reached for his backpack, class materials, and phone, bursting out the door in record speed.

"Have fun with your hot boyfriend!"

Yuuri groans again at the sound of Phichit yelling out the door of their shared room, hoping no one heard it but knows that everyone who wasn't in class did. He'll be angry with Phichit later he promised himself. For now, he had to focus on getting to class in time.

.

. . .

.

Much to his chagrin, Yuuri was in fact late for class. After stopping him at the door to bring that to attention, the professor let him slip to his seat claiming they didn't have the time for a speech today. Yuuri was grateful anyway, relieved that he could pass over his fear for once. Public speaking. The class was miserable, but he had to take it for his major. It was called Advanced Public Speaking. He grabbed a notebook out of the bag that he threw down and picked out a pen to start writing notes. He felt the eyes on him, hoping he could just disappear through the floor. The last thing he needed was attention. After the miserable dream from last night, all he really wanted was sleep. But he never felt the eyes look away. In fact, it was as if they were burning a hole through him. He glanced up from the notes he was taking to catch the brief hint of blue eyes turning away. Odd. By the time class ended, Yuuri was on his way out when his second worst fear came true.

"Katsuki, can you stay for a few minutes? Nikiforov, you too."

Now he was in trouble for coming in late. A perfect new addition to this day. He completely missed the second part of what he said, too busy agonizing over the first and conjuring up a plan to get back at Phichit. It was only until he realized that it was him, Viktor, and the teacher left in the room together that he figured out what the second part was. Viktor had to stay, too. _Not good._ Before he could even start his mental panic, the professor spoke, addressing them both in a way that sent a shiver down their spines.

"Care to explain why you were both late today?" He glanced between Yuuri and Viktor, expecting at least one of them to speak up. Only Yuuri was too lost in thought to process anything anymore.

 _Viktor was late, too. Why?_

"I... uh..."

"It's my fault. I asked Yuuri for help on our next prompt for this class and lost track of time. Thinking we still had time before class, he said he left his notebook back at his dorm room, and I said he wouldn't be late considering how early it still was. I'm sorry. I'll take responsibility for us."

Yuuri stared in shock at Viktor. The words completely threw him off. Why was he defending him? Why was he lying about something like being late? Why did he put Yuuri in the story? How did he even know his name? to Was this really happening right now? Then he found that the professor was looking at him to confirm the story Viktor told. Quickly, he nodded his head and faced their professor. "Er... yes. I'm sorry. It wasn't just his fault! I should've been paying attention, and instead I-"

"Alright. You're dismissed. I'll let you go for now, but don't ever be late for my class again. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Viktor grinned at the teacher and adjusted the backpack hanging off his left shoulder.

"Of course!" Yuuri nodded viciously again, constantly changing his line of sight from the professor to Viktor. And then Viktor was pushing him out the room. He barely had anytime to process that fact, but it was happening. Soon they were both walking side-by-side towards the exit of the building, silence filling the space between them. Only Yuuri's thoughts were screaming at him. Many different things. They ranged from _say something already!_ to _what is even happening right now?!_ No answers came to mind as they continued walking, Viktor silently humming as they strolled along a path.

"Um... Viktor?" Bright blue eyes that were almost shocking with their depth burned into his own coffee-colored ones. He had to prevent the flush on his cheeks that was soon to come, so he resolved himself to staring straight ahead or at the people walking past them, giving them odd looks he noticed. "Why did you say... you know... what you said?" _Stupid._

"It was better than sitting there and getting yelled at for different reasons. As long as it's about school, some of the teachers won't care."

Of course that's why. Why did Yuuri think there would be any other reason? _Stupid._ "Right." _Say something else._ Nothing came to mind.

"Why do you look ready to pass out at any second?"

"Huh?" The question took him off guard entirely. Yuuri turned to glance a Viktor again, the surprise easily readable apparently because then Viktor laughed.

"The bags under your eyes look pretty bad. I can't say that mine are any better, though." Viktor laughed again and Yuuri gaped in awe because well... he hadn't been expecting _Viktor Nikiforov_ to notice anything about him. Him in general actually. This past few minutes felt completely and utterly surreal. Maybe he really passed out in class and this was all a dream. Only his dreams were different, so that was immediately ruled out as a possibility. And now Viktor was staring at him because usually someone would've responded by now. Yuuri was still silent, trapped in his own thoughts.

"I uh... why do you care?" It was an honest question. An honest question that accidently came out harsher than he meant to, which became obvious by the glimmer of hurt on Viktor's face. _Oh no._ Before he could say anything to redeem himself and what he had said, Viktor had started laughing again. Maybe he was insane. That would explain how he was able to laugh at the _painfully_ obvious rude question.

"Ouch."

"Th-thanks again. I'm sorry I have to go." That's all it took for Yuuri to sprint away from the tennis player, thoughts now reeling in way too many directions. He threw the words a mile a minute at Viktor as he bolted in the direction of his dorm. He had to talk to Phichit. Now. He needed to get away from the feeling of guilt and nausea that was threatening to take over for him. Yuuri kept sprinting even though the burn of his muscles was becoming too much. He didn't want to stop. Stopping meant Viktor had a chance to see him still, and that could _not_ happen right now.

.

. . .

.

He didn't want to go back to his room just yet. Phichit was most likely there. His class had ended a little bit before Yuuri's own, and if he didn't have a class right after then their room is where he would be. Yuuri ran for the library instead, more intent on finding somewhere quiet to deal with what just happened. What he let happen. What if a distraction is what he needs? Yuuri likes the idea suddenly, sprinting back in the other direction where he knows his dorm room is. He'll find time to be mad at Phichit later. Right now, he needs to vent. He needs this off his chest because he's stupid and let it happen. Because he didn't think before speaking and accidently said those words to Viktor. Because he'll barely be able to go to that class anymore without reminding himself of what he did. Viktor might hate him now. No. He definitely hates him now. Yuuri ran his mouth and didn't say the words he was actually thinking, which admittedly would've been just as embarrassing. It wouldn't have hurt Viktor though. He forgot where he was walking for a moment before fixing the direction he was taking. Phichit won't be able to help fix this, but he can at least listen to what dumb thing he's done now. And maybe help a little. Once he arrived at their dorm room, he immediately began fumbling to put the key into the lock. Phichit, for what won't be the first time today for very long, helps him by opening the door for him. His roommate stared at him, taking in his anxious expression before moving aside to let him in. Yuuri quickly drops his bag on the chair seated at his desk and tosses himself onto his bed, while Phichit shuts the door and sits on the floor in front of Yuuri's bed. No one says anything. Not for a moment. Then Phichit breaks it.

"Who do I have to kill?"

In normal circumstances, he would at least smile at that. Maybe even punch his arm. Some cases he would start crying. Not this time. And Phichit noticed quickly. Yuuri turned onto his left side and starts up their staring contest that began at the door. Then everything falls off of his tongue in a hurry.

"I'm so stupid, Phichit! He was so sincere, too! I didn't mean to say those words, but I did! I don't even know where they came from! I mean I do know where they came from, but I didn't mean to say them out loud. I was only curious, but I didn't mean to sound as harsh as I did, and now he hates me, and I won't be able to go back to that class again because he's only going to be cold towards me. All because I said something stupid and irrational and insulting. He looked hurt, Phichit. Like someone punched him. Like I punched him! I didn't even try to fix it either! I just ran out of the room! I should've said something else. No wait, I should've just slept in. Phichit, why'd you wake me up this morning? I should've just missed the class and made up the assignment and-"

"Woah. Okay. Yuuri, relax. Stay with me for a second. Look at me. Only me." Phichit waved his hands around as if to snap Yuuri out of the trans the event from earlier brought on. Yuuri stayed silent and watched as Phichit tried to take in all the information just thrown at him. "Breathe. In. Out. Try it."

Yuuri did as he said and slumped onto the bed again, his back against the sheets. "What do I do? He was just-"

"No talking. I'm going to ask questions, and I want you to answer me in brief sentences unless I ask for more details. Got it? Nod if you got it."

Yuuri nodded.

"Great. What happened? Start from the beginning. Remember. Brief sentences. Straight to the point."

Yuuri nodded again and took a deep breath. "I was told to stay after with Viktor. Viktor was also late today apparently. Before I could even answer why I came in at the time I did, Viktor spoke up. He said that we were together and lost track of time. As we were leaving, we barely spoke at all. He asked about the bags under my eyes. About why I was so tired. And then... And then I asked him why he cared." He sucked in a breath, waiting for Phichit's response. When nothing came, he gazed down to find his roommate holding his chin with his left hand.

"And what did he say?"

"I... I don't know. I ran away from him. He looked hurt, Phichit. Like someone punched him. Like I punched him. I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but I did. I'm so stupid. He hates me now. He probably doesn't want to see me anymore. He'll probably just ignore me now. Act like I don't exist."

"Wow, I didn't think you'd be able to play hard to get, Yuuri. To Viktor of all people, too. I'm impressed." Phichit dodged the pillow thrown in his direction and laughed at the groan he got in response.

"This is serious, Phichit. I messed up. How am I supposed to go to back to that class again next week?"

I don't think it's as bad as you think it is, Yuuri." The silence he got in return pushed to continue. "Just tell him it was an accident and that you're sorry. He probably won't think much of it when you tell him that wasn't what you meant to say. Problem solved. You won't have to worry anymore, he'll be happy, you two will make out, and I'll be your best man!" Phichit dodged another pillow, laughing harder than before.

"I hate you. Just making sure you know that."

"You couldn't hate me even if you try. There's an ice cream shop downtown that'll prove my point."

"Fine, but you better be paying."

"Anything for my emotional-wreck of a friend."

"I hate you again."

.

. . .

.

 _"I'd do anything to protect you, Your Highness. Now run. Run as fast as you can. I'll hold them off as long as I can."I can only watch as my love pulls the katana from where it sat at his robes he wears flutter from the movement. As I watch the horde of samurai approach us faster, I reach a hand forward and clutch at the robes, unwilling to let go._

 _"I can't leave you behind. I won't. I don't care what the cost is. I... I don't know what I'd do without you." Tears spring in my eyes at the thought of never seeing him again. He is my everything. My world. If he leaves me now, I... I won't be able to go on._

 _"Don't be so selfish now. I need you to be strong. You have a strong life ahead of you, leading this country to become so much more than it is now. Even if I'm gone, even if something happens to me, I will always be with you no matter what. I'll see over everything you do. My spirit will forever be alive. I love you more than you know. More than words can begin to describe. I love you. Remember that. Remember me." He turns around to face me, a hand caressing my cheek. I lean into the touch, afraid this will be the last time I ever do so. I can see his unshed tears through the blurriness of my own. I place my hand over his and shake my head. Softly at first and then violently. I refuse to accept what he's said. He talks as if death is his only path, like fate has brought him hear. To hell with fate. I need him with me._

 _"Let me be selfish. Let me keep you to myself."_

 _"You have to let me-"_

 _"I can't! I won't do it! Just come with me! Please!" The robes I'm wearing shake just as violently as I do. I can almost feel his resolve crumble. My tears fall more rapidly now. I can't have him leave. Even if he stays, he won't be enough to slow them down. They'll brush past him and run for me anyway. I can't have him leave me now. If being selfish is what it takes, then I'll become the most selfish emperor he's ever known. "I command you to stay."_

 _"I'm sorry, but those are orders I won't be able to follow." He smiles sadly, a stray tear falling from one of his eyes as he lets go of me._ _My grip falters, and I can no longer feel him. This can't be the end. It won't be. As I try to run back, one of my guards who has been assisting our escape pulls on me to run away in the wrong direction I want to go in. I fall to the ground hopelessly, watching as the love of my life draws his sword closer to his body, steadying himself. I scream for him and keep screaming because there's nothing else I can do. I have to be carried away by my guards until I far enough away where I can't see him anymore. I turn and run. I run so fast my legs burn, but I know this is what he wants. I will not make his sacrifice for nothing, even if it kills me to know it will only be me who remains. The last I hear of him is his scream of challenge. And then the roar of the battle commencing._ _I never look back. Don't dare to look away from the path ahead. My tears burn my eyes, but I don't stop running._

 _Because I love him. And I know he loves me._

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

A blindingly bright white light caused Yuuri to open his eyes slowly, blinking back the sleep that threatens to pull him under again. Then, when his vision has cleared up as much as it could without his glasses on, he began to register what exactly was happening before he woke up. Phichit was back at his side again, this time he seemed to be caught off guard by something. Yuuri also realized that Phichit's hand was extended towards him. He shot his friend a curious look and sat up in the bed.

"What's wrong?"

"I should be asking you that."

Yuuri's eyebrows knit together in confusion as he observed his roommate, trying to process the words. He was still worried about _hurting_ Viktor but not as much as the day before. Phichit should've noticed that already. He didn't understand what he meant until he felt it. Something small and warm and wet drops onto his hand. As Yuuri glances down to see what it is, he finds a tear. When did he start crying? He continued to stare at the droplet, unsure of what to make of it. Until he remembers the dream. The tear was still confusing, but at least it made more sense now. He hasn't cried because of his dreams since the first few times he got them. That was understandable though... this was... more concerning. Phichit seemed to start piecing it together, too.

"A dream?"

"A dream."

Yuuri's confirmation only worried his roommate more. He looked between Yuuri's face and the tear and then back up at Yuuri. Words seemed to still on his lips, nothing spoken between them for a moment that seems to drag on.

"I knew he was going to die. I didn't see it, but I felt it. This one was more..."

"Emotional?" Phichit inquires, nodding in the direction of the tear.

Yuuri bobbed his head to say yes, worrying his lip between his teeth. It had certainly been more dramatic, more emotionally draining than most, but it wasn't anything new. The tear was, though. The longer he stared at it as it caught the light in the room and almost seemed to glow. Phichit's now concerned expression continued to focus on Yuuri.

"Have you ever had these dreams two nights in a row?"

Oh.

 _Oh._

He didn't. He never did. Usually a few days passed before the next dream occurred. They never came back the next night. Yuuri's eyes blew wide at the sudden realization. It didn't seem like that big of a deal, but somehow it felt like it should be. Phichit noticed, too.

"Wow. What do we do?"

They continued to hold eye contact, too surprised to look away. What _do_ they do? Did it even really mean anything? Are they just imagining it? It was irregular, though.

"I don't know." Yuuri shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe it was a one-time thing?"

Yuuri could see that Phichit was trying to understand what was happening.

"You're right. Of course." Yuuri glanced down at the tear that was almost dried and dug deeper into his, drawing a bit of blood.

"Of course." Phichit confirmed again, uncertainty lining his eyes.

.

. . .

.

The week had pushed forward the same as the first two days had, the dreams having been just as relentless as then. The feudal Japan dream was still the worst in comparison since he felt like he was _actually_ in it. He was already in every dream, but that one time he felt like he was the one crying over the one he loved leaving him. The worst part was he felt like he _belonged_ there, but he just wrote that off as him missing home a bit too much. Phichit had suggested that he try to see someone about them, but Yuuri knew no one would be able to explain the dreams. That conversation ended quickly, his roommate agreeing that it would be hard to get a reasonable answer. Instead of talking them out anymore, Phichit stuck to staying up with Yuuri until he fell back asleep. There was one night where Yuuri felt so bad about making Phichit deal with him that he brought up how he could get a single room, and Phichit could room with one of his other friends. Phichit had assured him that no one would be able to put up with him the way Yuuri did and quickly dismissed the idea.

That Friday, Yuuri practically stumbled into his advanced public speaking class, thoughts distracted by the dreams and exhaustion threatened to overtake him. He couldn't even find it in himself to think about his mistake of what he had said to Viktor. He did promise himself to talk to Viktor by Monday. They only had the class on Mondays and Fridays. Wednesdays and Thursdays only if the teacher told them so.

He could feel the eyes of the students in the class so far on him, but he couldn't care less. As carefully as possible, Yuuri made his way to his seat and threw his bags down. This was going to be a long week if he didn't start trying to do something about the dreams. The door to the lecture hall opened with a creak as more and more students filtered in. Much to his surprise, Viktor still hadn't shown up. Deciding he probably skipped for tennis practice, Yuuri dismissed the thought and started doodling whatever came to mind on the sides of a blank piece of paper. As the professor walked in to start his lecture, Yuuri drew his attention from the swirls in ink to the teacher in front of the room. It was then that Viktor pushed open the door and uttered a string of apologies as he passed the teacher. His friends snickered and either gave him a pat on the back or a punch to the arm. Yuuri noticed that Viktor didn't return any of the gestures. He just slunk into his seat and gave what appeared to be a not so genuine smile. Another oddity to add to that week, Yuuri added in his mind. He hadn't realized he was staring at Viktor until they made eye contact. He usually would've been embarrassed out of his mind to have been caught, but a voice in his mind told him not to stop. It was hard to tell from across the room, but Viktor was mouthing something to Yuuri. He squinted to try and read his lips, but the lack of sleep made it hard to really focus. He shrugged his shoulders a little to indicate he had no idea what he was saying and Viktor sighed, soon giving up. Neither looked away until the professor cleared his throat and began speaking again.

By the time the class was dismissed, Yuuri hurried to grab his belongings, exciting to go back to his dorm and hopefully take a nap. Phichit would be mad that he didn't want to do anything else, but he also knew the rough week Yuuri had. After swinging his backpack onto both shoulders, Yuuri rushed out of the room, missing his name being called out. It wasn't until a hand grabbed his shoulder that he turned around. Yuuri swung around, ready to confront whoever it was only to find Viktor catching his breath.

"For someone not on a sports team, you run pretty fast." Viktor stood up straight, adjusted his bag, and smiled at Yuuri, who almost had a heart attack at the sight of him. "I was hoping you had a moment to talk, but you seem like you're in a rush, so maybe not?" He almost sounded... hopeful? That couldn't be right.

"No!" He flinched at the sound of his own voice. "I mean no, I have time to talk. Sure. Yeah. Of course." Yuuri smiled weakly in return, prepared for Viktor to yell at him for what he did the last time they talked. He followed as Viktor led the way to a more empty corridor that split off from the main hallway. Yuuri awkwardly pulled at his shirt, waiting for the anger to come.

And then it never did.

"I'm sorry. About the other day. I didn't mean to be rude or pry into your life." Was he apologizing? He could only stare in shock as Viktor played with the bangs covering his left eye. "I meant to say sorry earlier this week, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I hoped you would come to class today, so I could say what I wanted to. I'm really sorry, Yuuri. If you hate me, I completely understand. I didn't mean to upset you in any way. I promise." He actually looked guilty. _Viktor Nikiforov_ was apologizing to _him_ because Yuuri said something stupid and ran away because he was embarrassed. Was this really happening.

"What?" The words were quieter than he meant them to be, but at least he managed to say something. Viktor seemed to take what he said the wrong way because then he looked downright miserable.

"I'm really, really sorry, Yuuri. You don't have to accept my apology. I just wanted to make it clear that wasn't what I meant." Viktor dropped his bangs and stared straight at Yuuri, the eye contact almost as shocking as what he was hearing.

"No, I meant... Why are you apologizing?" His confusion seemed to throw Viktor off.

"Because I made you angry?" Viktor said the words as a question, clearly unsure what to say anymore.

"I thought _you_ would be angry."

Something seemed to click in Viktor's head because then he started laughing. It made him sound happier than he was at the start of their conversation, more like himself. "I thought... Yuuri Katsuki, you are something else." Viktor shook his head, a smile still on his face. "I wasn't angry at all, but I thought you were. You ran away pretty fast from me."

Yuuri flicked his gaze to the ground, finding his bottom lip between his teeth. "I didn't... Sorry. I'm sorry. I should be sorry. I know you said you weren't angry, but I snapped at you. It wasn't right, and you were only being nice, and I-"

"Yuuri, it's alright." Viktor was laughing again. "I wasn't mad. Honestly."

Yuuri found himself returning the smile with light pink cheeks. "Thank you."

Viktor's smile turned into a more confident one. "Because I still feel bad about what happened, you should come to my next match."

Yuuri's eyes widened as he processed what Viktor was saying. "You want me to come to your tennis match?" This was another dream, wasn't it?

"You catch on." Viktor's smile seemed to brighten. "So will you come? I'd feel a lot better if you did. It's tomorrow morning at eleven here on campus. Don't be late. I'll be the one holding a racquet."

Yuuri's cheeks reddened as he smiled nervously. "Um... sure. Yeah. I-I should be able to go. I mean I will be. I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be the one watching."

Viktor's smile turned into a grin at Yuuri's response to his joke. "See you then." He ran past Yuuri, waving as he left. Yuuri waved back as he watched the tennis player sprint off.

Phichit was definitely going to want answers, especially since he was sure his smile wasn't going to vanish anytime soon.

.

. . .

.

"He said _what_? Yuuri, you better not be lying to me. This isn't something you lie about. If there's a punchline to this, I want it now. Don't lead me on any longer." Phichit waved a finger at Yuuri from his bed on the other side of the room, while Yuuri was on his own bed, books and notebooks spread out in front of him. Like he had predicted, the smile on his face had yet to vanish.

"There's no joke to this. I wouldn't have been able to make a joke like that. You know that." Yuuri lightly tossed the mechanical pencil in his hand at his roommate, laughing when it accidently hit his head. Phichit seemed to ignore the pencil and couldn't stop staring at Yuuri like he had started flying. It was amusing to watch, and it made him feel giddier about his plans for the next day.

" _Viktor Nikiforov_ himself invited you to watch him play. That's big, Yuuri! Can I start planning your wedding now or should I wait a day or two?" Phichit grinned as Yuuri rolled his eyes.

"Very funny. He usually has a big fan section, so it's not like he's actually going to notice if I'm there or not. And I would throw another pencil at you, but I need this one to finish this Calc assignment." Yuuri thought through the problem he was currently looking at and scrunched his eyebrows in confusion when his answer didn't match up. Phichit, who was intent on ruining his studying, continued to bring up his conversation with Viktor.

"I assume you want the wedding color to be blue. I wonder what color Viktor would like... I'll leave a space for him in the plans for now. Just let him know that he needs to tell me by next week. We'll need to order tuxedos and decorations soon." Another eye roll from Yuuri. "How are you not dying right now? We can get into the coolest parties and vacations if you start dating him. _Oh my gosh._ Yuuri, you _have_ to start dating him. Everyone will want to be friends with us."

"Maybe then I'll actually want to become friends with you." Yuuri smirked just a bit as he wrote down the final answer to the problem he was struggling with.

"That's it." Phichit crossed the room in a second and threw himself on top of Yuuri, insinuating a wrestling match that he thought he had the upper hand in. Once he had been successfully pinned down by Yuuri, he spoke as he tried to catch his breath again. "You better pin Viktor down just as easily as this." Yuuri grinned and got off of him.

"Haha."

"Yuuri?"

"Hm?"

"I'm picking out your outfit for tomorrow."

"You're ridiculous."

"I know."


	2. New Mornings

_The air in the room is heavy as I walk forward, the podium from which I was to stand on in front of the royal court seemed like a wall that I wish I could just tear down. I shouldn't be trial. I did nothing wrong. He knows it too, which is why he sits on a smaller throne next to the king with tears in his eyes. I don't have to be up close to see them. I can feel them. I really wish he could just smile. I spent numerous days in the cells without seeing him, so I would just like to see him smile. But I know he won't. His pain is my pain. The knight clad in silver armour thrust me towards the podium, the chains around my wrist clanged as they hit the wood. As I step up to face the King, Queen, their advisors, and him, I almost all but break. Despite what I know is to come, I smile at him, hoping to get one in return. Instead a single tear falls down his perfect cheek, falling from his chin to the many fabrics he's adorn in. Even at a time like this, I find myself thinking about how amazing he is, how indescribably perfect he is. I almost laugh at myself, but I hold it back. It won't help me to laugh now, even though nothing can change the verdict I'm going to receive._

 _"Yuuri Katsuki, you were imprisoned for the crime of a plotted murder. A witness found you holding a dagger after you had kidnapped the prince. If no one had found you, you would've murdered the heir to the throne upon my passing! You're a monster. Despicable." The king spat in my direction. The laughter from before starts to bubble up again in me. His tears hold me from snapping, from saying the actual words, but I can't do it. If I say anything about us, he will be put on a trial before the gods. I won't do that to him because if one of us is to live, then I will make sure it's him._

 _"Are these claims true?"_

 _He starts shaking his head, it's a small movement. So small I doubt anyone else will see it. I only smile back in return._

 _With a shaky breath, I speak the words that hold the answers to my supposed crime."Yes, they speak the truth. I had planned on killing your prince."_

 _The gasp from all those in audience to my trial is deafening, ringing in my ears like I know it is for him. The tears in his eyes flow more freely now as he mouths the word no to me over and over again. I just keep smiling. I might look insane, but if I stop smiling then I'll start crying. I just want him to remember me like this. Smiling. No tears. The Queen sees how upset he is and then focuses her attention solely on me. The glare I receive from her is nothing short of what I was expecting. I look to her and try to send my apology to her without words. Maybe she'll_ _decipher the look. Maybe she won't. Everything is out of my hands now._

 _And then he leans towards the King, whispering words I don't have to hear to know what they are. He's trying to save me. Stop._ Stop. _Everyone becomes silent when the King hits him, and I don't try to prevent the gasp that is released past my lips. The King speaks something else to him, a little louder and harsher than he was, but it doesn't take a High Sparrow to interpret what he says. He's stunned from the slap, but then the tears fall again. It's unbearable to watch him like this. If I could, I would grab his hand and run away from everything. From this corrupted city to the woods. I'll take him somewhere where no one will ever find us. But this harsh reality prevents me from doing so._

 _"The punishment for your crime is death." My smile grows as he stares at me with wide, reddened eyes. "Your public execution will be held at the first light of tomorrow. Take him away. I no longer want him in my presence."_

 _He stands up from where he's sitting and turns towards the King, no doubt trying to prevent the inevitable. I love him so much and everything he does for me even though it's too late. the guards, who are positioned next to me, wait for my descent from the podium before taking me by the arms and almost dragging me down the length of the room towards the tall doors I walked through earlier. If this trial had been out in the public eye instead of the throne room, stones and other items would most surely be thrown at me. If only they knew. If only they understood._

 _I hear him cry out to the King and once more in my direction from the throne, but I don't look back. I can't. I'll break if I do. He needs to keep a memory of me being strong, smiling even though I feel like I'm falling apart. I'm doing this for him. Everything I do is for him._

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

Yuuri woke up with a start, finding all of his bedsheets everywhere but on his bed. He held his head in his right hand as he assessed the dream that had woken him up. He sat in his bed for a few more moments before remembering what he had planned for the day. Excitedly, he grasped his phone and checked the time. 7:46 a.m. There was still two hours and counting before the tennis match, so unsure of what to do, he flicked through social media for about thirty minutes before getting up and deciding to be at least somewhat proactive while he was up. He grabbed the outfit Phichit had set up the night before and headed for the shower down the hallway.

By the time he had returned, Phichit had just gotten up and was already scrolling through the notifications on his phone. When Yuuri entered the room, his roommate looked up from his phone and examined what he was wearing. "Good. You're wearing what I said to wear. You know Yuuri, more people would notice you if you wore outfits like that." It wasn't anything too ridiculous. He was wearing a simple light grey shirt and blue cardigan with dark-colored jeans and white slip-on shoes.

Yuuri shook his head as he ran his towel over it to dry it. "I don't know what you're talking about, Phichit. No one is going to care about what I wear. Besides, you know I don't like attention. I don't want a reason to stand out if I have to."

"You're going to be hanging out with Viktor. Every girl is going to want to know who the hot arm candy is talking with Viktor."

 _"Phichit."_ Yuuri threw the towel at his friend, who caught it with ease. "I'm only there to watch him play. He's not even going to have the time to talk, and I'm not going to interrupt his game just to get a word in."

"Oh! Good idea! Maybe if you pretend to pass out or something next to the courts, Viktor will come running to save you!"

"I'm not doing that. Nice try."

Yuuri flattened his hair out neatly before sitting on the edge of his bed, phone in hand. 8:17 a. m. It was going to be a _long_ morning leading up to the match. Phichit got up and took his turn to get ready for the day, while Yuuri let his thoughts drift back to the dream. He never usually thought about what they were about unless the dream was that vivid, but this time he felt that he needed to. It _was_ weird that they've started to occur every night, but somehow his dream from last night seemed... different. It was incomplete. Unlike every other dream, nothing too sweet or miserable happened. It really wasn't a nice dream either, considering he was sentenced to death. That part was normal. What wasn't normal was how detailed everything was, the emotions were more raw and real. These were the dreams that scared him the most. The ones that felt so real that he could've lived through the experience. Only he was positive he never fell in love with a prince in the timeline of the Middle Ages. Considering he wasn't alive back then, there was no way he was there at all. Dismissing those thoughts quickly, Yuuri put his phone down and stared at nothing in particular. It would make sense if they were based off of something he watched, read, or thought of before he slept, but last night he didn't really do anything before sleep took over. The only movie he watched that week was 'The King and the Skater' with Phichit, but no dream came that resembled the musical. The dreams that held the most character to them were also appearing without a pattern to them. There was no indicator or sign that reasoned for them.

When Phichit had returned and gotten ready, the duo left the room and headed for the cafe where breakfast was being served across campus. The freshmen dorms weren't in the best spot on campus, but once they were sophomores, their room would change to somewhere more convenient. That was a perk of slowly becoming an upper classman. The only problem was that Viktor will have graduated by then. Viktor will be gone next year. When he had first developed his small crush on the star tennis player, he had hoped that when Viktor graduated, then he could forget about his feelings. It almost felt like a mistake to start acting on them now of all times. He was grateful it was still the first semester, though. If Viktor stopped talking to him after this, then everything would go back to normal. Nothing would matter anymore. Yuuri hadn't realized he zoned out until Phichit waved his hand in front of his face and pushed him forward to grab what he wanted to eat. After taking a water and a fruit salad, he swiped his student ID and sat down at one of the tables in the center of the room, while Phichit followed close behind.

"What distracted you this time?" Phichit brought the wrap to his lips, taking a bit of it as he stared at Yuuri.

Yuuri shrugged, stabbing a piece of the fruit in the cup with the plastic fork he held. "About next year... and last night's dream."

"What was it about this time?" Phichit seemed more invested in what Yuuri had to say, forgetting about the sandwich in his hands.

"The Middle Ages. Someone accused me of plotting to kill the prince, but really we were-"

"Making out right? Well, that's low of them. They should've just let you two suck on each other's face. I bet that would've been a fun dream to be a part of."

Yuuri choked on the fruit he was chewing on, gulped down some of his water, and flushed a vibrant red. " _Phichit!_ I would _not_ have enjoyed that anymore than the real ones I'm having!" He glanced around to find a few of the other occupants in the cafe staring at them. He immediately brought his attention back to the fruit and poked another fruit in the cup as Phichit snickered at him.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding. All joking aside, you don't look like you had a great night, though."

"Is it that obvious?" Yuuri looked up from the fruit to stare at his friend in defeat. The bags under his eyes were becoming impossible to remove, so he had given up for the time being.

"Not that bad, but they are noticeable. I could try to cover them up if you want."

Yuuri sighed and shoved a slice of a strawberry into his mouth. "It's too late now." He put the fork down and leaned his head onto his right hand. "What am I going to do about them, Phichit? I can't sleep for very long anymore, and I just feel tired throughout the day if I take a nap between classes. I just wish they would stop already." Yuuri twisted the fork in his hands, unsure of what to do about the whole situation.

"How about you go to the courts and meet up with Viktor? We can talk about what to do later or even tomorrow depending on your mood when you get back."

Yuuri was happy to have a friend like Phichit around. He always knew how to make him feel even just a little better. He smiled at his roommate in response. "Okay. Are you sure you don't want to come?" He had asked Phichit last night before they went to bed, but he said it would be better if Yuuri went alone. He didn't mind being by himself, but he just wanted to make sure he didn't want to be there. Phichit did, after all, love drama and a chance at new gossip.

"Positive. Now go have your fun."

Yuuri got up from the table with his water and nearly empty cup of fruit, heading towards the door. As he opened it to leave, he gave his friend one last look before stepping out into the chilly November air, instantly regretting not bringing a jacket with him. It was too much of a walk back to his dorm, so he settled for continuing in the direction of the tennis courts.

.

. . .

.

The school had eight tennis courts that were split up by twos, a tall fence dividing the different sets of two that joined with the regular fencing around all the courts. Only five were ever used for matches, but with how big the team was, they needed the extra courts to practice on. When Yuuri showed up to the courts, he was surprised to find them surrounded by players and bystanders alike considering how early he arrived. The coaches for both teams were constantly switching between the different courts,, always watching each individual player on their respective team. Yuuri hesitantly drew closer, walking along the courts. It wasn't hard to find the court Viktor was on, since he had drawn a large crowd towards the fence near himself. He stood off to the side, unwilling to join the drooling girls and jealous boys, yet keep a good distance to watch and understand what was going on. Viktor seemed like he was looking for something when he stopped warming up with his rival and took a long sip of the sports drink he apparently brought. After glancing around the crowd, Viktor's eyes settled on Yuuri's, and to his surprise, Viktor waved. Trying not to be impolite yet not distracting, Yuuri wore a small smile and brought his hand up in response. Viktor seemed to beam at the response and with more energy than before, put the drink back on the ground near his tennis bag and picked up his racquet, jogging up to the net. The player he was competing against met him at the net, and they shook hands. Yuuri had watched and played a bit of tennis before, so he understood the basic rules, scoring system, and plays of a real match.

As the match began, Yuuri watched Viktor go from having a boundless amount of energy to completely focused in simply moments. He's seen the way Viktor's played before, but it still surprised him how easily he was able to get concentrated. The players started their battle of rallying back and forth the moment Viktor's opponent served the ball. It was stunning to see how fast Viktor was able to get to the ball no matter where it landed in the court. The difference in skill of the two players was blatantly obvious, Yuuri noted. Viktor had the upper hand by winning the first point, making the score 15-Love, or 15-0. In a match, 0 was never called as 0 but as love in tennis. It took about thirty minutes for the score to reach 40-15, when Viktor's rival was noticeably starting to understand Viktor's movements. The match was very quickly becoming even ground as the opponent kept making better plays and calls than he had at the start of the match. It was an obvious tactic in the sport, to play subpar at the start of the game before finally cranking into gear towards the middle of the match. Yuuri clapped whenever Viktor won a point or made a great play.

When the first set had ended with a score of 6-3, the players paused for a break. Viktor ran for his sports drink and jogged to the fence, where an older man, Yuuri presumed his coach, stood watching. He couldn't hear what they were saying but had a good clue when Viktor's coach's volume rose just over a normal level. Viktor waved him away and spotted Yuuri with his arms wrapped around himself. As much fun as it was to watch the sport, Yuuri was _really_ starting to find the cold air irritating. Because Phichit had told him to dress nicer than he usually did, he had to ditch his sweatshirt and the cardigan didn't exactly cover as much as he would've liked. Viktor took a glance at his opponent and seemed to think about something for a moment. To Yuuri's amazement, he then came jogging up to the part of the fence in front of Yuuri. Yuuri walked forward towards the fence and smiled shyly at Viktor.

"You're doing great."

"Thanks! I'm glad you came. Now I don't feel so bad about when I asked you too personal of a question." Viktor grinned and put a hand up to the fence, clasping his hand around a small group of the links.

Yuuri's smile widened just a bit. "You're welcome. You're a really good player. I almost feel bad for your opponent."

Viktor laughed and took another sip from his drink. "That's why Yakov placed me at first singles from the start. So now you're siding with the enemy. I take back what I said earlier. Maybe I shouldn't have invited you, Yuuri."

Yuuri laughed a little himself. "You clearly deserve the position." He nodded and continued, "I'm not really siding with them. I just feel bad because I can tell they know they aren't going to win." Yuuri grinned at Viktor's response back to him. "Maybe I should come to more of your games just to talk about your opponents."

Viktor's grin matched Yuuri's as they continued to talk. Before Viktor could reply, his coach came up to them and yelled at him in what seemed to be Russian. Viktor kept smiling at the coach, who he had called Yakov, and waved his hand to dismiss the yelling before strolling back to the court. Before he could fully walk away from Yuuri, he turned back around. "There's a jacket in my bag that Yakov has if you're cold and want to borrow it." He faced the courts again and rushed just a bit faster to drop his drink, pick up his jacquet, and resume the game again. Meanwhile, Yuuri was having a hard time registering what Viktor had said. Quickly, he pulled out his phone and popped open Phichit's contact. He scrolled to the bottom of their conversation and rapidly sent a text to his friend.

 **Viktor said i could borrow his jacket if i was cold do i?**

He was internally panicking, the blush on his face most likely evident even despite the cold. The thought of wearing one of Viktor's jackets felt like a crime, like he would forever ruin it. The _ping_ telling him that he received a reply went off mere seconds after he sent the message.

 **YES DUHH**

Yuuri took a deep breath and watched as Viktor gained another point off his opponent, his heart racing a million miles a minute. He then flicked his gaze to Yakov, who was now watching the match going on next to Viktor. Yuuri had seen the second singles player around but didn't know him enough to talk to him. His name was Georgi Popovich from what he knew. He was a rather... _interesting_ player. Not a typical one at all. Georgi was kind, though. That he did know.

His phone went off once again.

 **WEll? I NEED PHOTOS ASAP**

Yuuri flushed again at his friend's comment. It was very much like Phichit to be all over this sort of thing.

After debating back and forth as to whether he should go ask, he finally started to make his way over to where Coach Yakov was watching their school's first doubles duo on the other side of the fencing.

"H-Hello?" He fidgeted from foot to foot as he approached Yakov.

"What do you want kid?" Yakov continued to follow the fast movements of the highlighter green tennis ball as it bounced back and forth between the two pairs against each other.

Yuuri gulped quietly and tried to speak up louder, hoping it would help with his own confidence and bury the embarrassment of his words. "Um... Viktor said to ask you about a jacket in his bag. He said that I could wear it and needed to ask you for it..." His voice trailed off as the embarrassment only built up instead.

Yakov looked down at him for a brief moment before watching the intense rally of the players again. "He owns the red and white bag on the other side next to everyone else's bag. It's not that hard to spot."

"Got it. Thank you!" Yuuri nodded fast and almost jogged away to the bags. As he walked back up to the other side, he caught Viktor wipe the sweat off his forehead, half of which was covered by his bangs. He couldn't help but wonder how he was able to play with hair in front of one of his eye's as he made his way to Viktor's bag. Just as Yakov said, it was easy to spot since it was the only one of its kind. He slowly unzipped the top and biggest compartment of the bag to find what he assumed Viktor was talking about right on top. Unsurprisingly, the track jacket matched Viktor's bag to a tee. Yuuri found that as something Viktor especially would do and smiled at the thought. Before anyone had the wrong idea, Yuuri immediately zipped the bag up once more and folded the jacket between his arms as he made his way back to the spot he stood in before, right at the corner of Viktor's court. He stared at the jacket and then at Viktor, who just seemed to have won a difficult point since everyone nearby had started clapping. He then dropped his gaze to the jacket again. Hesitantly, he held the jacket out in front of himself and studied the outside of it. It was a white jacket lined with red and a pattern that reached from the neck and down the arms. On the right side of the front, it said "Detroit" above two tennis racquets crossed over each other and underneath said "2016 Tennis Team". Yuuri immediately felt guilty since it was one of Viktor's newer jackets. Deciding it was better to feel guilty than experience frostbite, he put both arms through the sleeves and zipped up the jacket. It wasn't warm like a real coat would've been, but it did help lessen the cold air surrounding him.

The match was well played, and two hours later, Viktor walked off the court as the winner of his match. He paused to wave to the crowd that had increased in size as the match entered the second set. Yuuri clapped along with the crowd before crossing his arms over his chest, snuggling into the warmth the jacket provided. Viktor started to walk down the court when he noticed Yuuri and froze. Yuuri went into panic mode as he caught Viktor's expression and started to think that maybe there was a different jacket Viktor wanted him to wear and not that one. As a million different answer popped into his mind, Viktor started walking again, eyes blown wider than they were before.

His eyes softened into his normal expression and a smile graced his lips the closer he got. As he approached the fence in front of Yuuri, he seemed to gaze at the jacket wrapped around him before making eye contact again. "I see you found the jacket."

Yuuri let go a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when Viktor implied the jacket he mentioned. "Yes, I did. Thank you! By the way. I meant to say that earlier, but obviously I couldn't..." He laughed anxiously and stared at the links in the fence that were closer to the ground, too embarrassed over the jacket to keep holding eye contact.

Viktor returned the laughter heartily. "Anytime. I didn't want you to die of the cold while you were watching, especially since I'm the one who guilt-tripped you into being here." He grinned at Yuuri, who had looked from the fence with less of the anxiousness he was feeling before. "Let me get out of the court then we can talk more."

Yuuri nodded and watched as Viktor ran over to the bench between the two courts and picked up his bag of tennis racquets and the numerous empty bottles of sports drinks. Once Yuuri noticed everything was packed, Viktor walked towards the exit of the court and towards Yuuri, getting stopped along the way by everyone who was watching. It took a few minutes, but he finally managed to make it. "We just need to wait on one more match before everyone can leave. It's down at the fifth court if you want to go watch." Viktor pointed in the direction of the court he was referring to.

"Sure." Yuuri nodded and followed as Viktor led the way. Then suddenly he remembered the jacket. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Yuuri directed his attention to the grass as they walked. Viktor gave him the background of the players they were about to watch as he stopped next to the fifth court, lingering off to the side where his team was standing. Yuuri glanced between him and the team, curious if Viktor maybe wanted to talk with his team instead. "Viktor, you can go with your team if you want. You don't have to talk to me just because I'm here." He looked up at Viktor, who was now looking at him in confusion. Thinking maybe he didn't hear him, Yuuri spoke just a little louder and decided to elaborate. "I just thought that since you're-"

"No thanks. I see them everyday, plus I like talking to you." Viktor smiled and turned back to the courts, unaware of how red Yuuri had become.

As the match went on to finish, Viktor explained shots to Yuuri that he either missed or thought he didn't understand. Even though Yuuri knew what he was talking about it, he didn't have the heart to say that he understood since Viktor was so passionate about the sport. It was around two when all the matches finally ended, and their school was given the victory. While Viktor walked around congratulating his teammates and receiving praise as well, Yuuri stood back and watched, practically feeling the eyes of Viktor's fans boring into him. He shifted uneasily from where he stood, ready to take the jacket off if the stares continued any longer. The last thing he needed was attention, which was exactly what he was getting. Yuuri stifled a yawn and barely heard Viktor approaching him.

"Tired?" Viktor smiled as he adjusted the strap on the bag that held his tennis racquets. Yuuri practically jumped when Viktor spoke up from beside him.

"Just a little." Yuuri smiled sheepishly. Last night's dream flashed through his mind briefly.

"Want to go somewhere for lunch? I've been starving since my match ended, and I can't imagine how hungry you must be after standing in the freezing cold for five hours." Viktor grinned and nudged Yuuri with his shoulder as Yuuri's stomach growled at the reminder of food. "So is that a yes?"

"Are you sure it's alright? Your teammates-"

"They'll be fine without me. As I said before, I see them all the time." Viktor laughed and took a step forward. "Come on. I'll even pay."

"Viktor, you really don't have to. I can pay for myself."

"Oh, I see. But I still feel bad that I made you run away. I don't think you coming to my match was enough to make me feel better."

Yuuri caught on to the teasing in his voice and returned the smile that Viktor held. If Viktor really still felt bad about what happened, then there was no reason for him to deny him. After all, it was his fault that things happened the way they did. "If it'll _really_ make you feel better..."

"Great! Let's go! My car is parked over there." He pointed down the street alongside the sidewalk that bordered the tennis courts. As Viktor led the way, Yuuri walked in silence, Viktor constantly talking about his match and what he was thinking during the match. Yuuri gaped at the car Viktor stopped at. It was pink convertible Cadillac that had the top down to accompany the weather they were currently stuck in.

"You _actually_ drive this?" Yuuri watched on as Viktor unlocked the trunk and threw his bags in before dramatically leaning against it. The sight would've made him laugh if he wasn't so concentrated on the fact that Viktor _actually_ owned a vehicle like that.

"Isn't it _just_ lovely, Yuuri?" Viktor rubbed the car where the trunk was closed, drawing a shaking laugh from the Japanese man. "It's vintage. I've had it for a few years and take the _utmost_ care of it. I don't know what I'd do if I wrecked it." The tennis star threw his arm over his eyes, which made Yuuri laugh just a bit harder.

"However would you find another obnoxiously pink car to drive around everywhere." Yuuri grinned and walked towards the car as Viktor moved to open the passenger door for him.

Viktor gasped loudly. "Finally! Someone understands my struggle!" Yuuri laughed even more as he stepped into the car, and Viktor shut the door behind him, bounding to the driver's side immediately after.

Viktor stepped into the car, threw his seatbelt on, and grinned at Yuuri before starting the car up and driving away from the courts.

Yuuri found it enjoyable how easy it was to talk to him, but it was awfully intimidating. Someone he admired and was well-liked throughout the campus was sitting and laughing with him as if they've known each other for years. It was strange. But nice. Viktor wasn't at all like he thought he would be, yet spot on all at the same time. He was easy to read some moments and at other times confused him to no end. So far, it was fun.

.

. . .

.

By the time he returned back to his dorm, it was almost five at night. As Yuuri pushed open the door to his room with a smile on his face, he found Phichit on his bed holding his own phone up, his expression serious. He stared in confusion as he walked further into the room, trying to figure out why Phichit's eyes seemed to follow him as he walked.

"Yuuri Katsuki."

"Yes?" Yuuri sat down on his own bed and cocked his head to the side as Phichit's eyes narrowed.

"First, you ignore my text messages. Second, you leave for eight hours without leaving so much as a call. Then, a photo of you and Viktor gets uploaded to his Instagram with the caption 'Out to eat after a successful match!' And lastly, you walk into our room wearing _his_ jacket. Care to explain any of this?"

Phichit eyed him curiously as Yuuri gasped and looked down, clearly forgetting about the jacket until now. "I forgot to give him his jacket back! Phichit, what do I do?!" Yuuri quickly unzipped the material and removed his arms from the sleeves, carefully yet hurriedly. He stared at the jacket then back at Phichit with wide eyes and a panicked expression. Phichit sighed and shook his head.

"You _could_ start by telling me what happened when you decided to ignore me for the rest of the day. That might be a good place to begin."

Yuuri guiltily bit down on his lip and set the jacket next to him on the bed, folding his hands in his lap right after. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to. I remembered to text you when Viktor was driving us to a cafe off campus, but then he said something and I got distracted and then we started laughing about something and-"

"Yuuri, calm down. I'm not really mad at you. Kind of. Okay, I am sort of mad you went on a date with _the_ Viktor Nikiforov and didn't tell me about every second of it sooner." Phichit broke into a grin that relieved Yuuri's mind.

"I really am sorry."

"Stop saying sorry and start talking about what happened. I _need_ to know!"

Yuuri's face flushed crimson at his roommate's misunderstanding. "I-It wasn't a d-date or anything! He just felt bad over thinking he got me angry at him or something. Not a date!" He swung his hands around, as if hand motions would make Phichit get the picture better. Phichit snickered, but let him go on. "He stopped to talk to his coach and came up to me saying I could wear his jacket since he noticed I was cold. I wasn't going to, but then you said I should, so I decided that since Viktor said it was okay then it had to be. I forgot I was still wearing it, and now I have to find a way to give it back to him before his next match."

"What about your little 'not date'?" Phichit put the words in air quotes, which embarrassed Yuuri more.

"It wasn't a date, and like I said, he told me he still felt bad over making me angry, so I asked to treat me to lunch. That's all it was." What he said seemed to amuse Phichit, although he couldn't figure out why or how. "What is it?"

"Oh, nothing." Phichit laughed once before trying to become serious. "Yuuri, you don't really think he bought you lunch _just_ because he said he was still upset. Do you?" When Yuuri nodded in confusion, Phichit all but lost it from where he was sitting on his bed. "I can't believe you bought that, Yuuri."

Yuuri downcast his eyes, thinking back to what Viktor told him and what Phichit was saying no. His mind fell into new thoughts as he realized that maybe Viktor didn't mean anything he told him. Considering it was only their third time talking to each other, it made sense, but he couldn't help the disappointment from casting over his face. Phichit noticed the change in his friend quickly and seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Yuuri, I didn't... That's not what I meant, Yuuri." Yuuri glanced up and caught Phichit's apologetic smile. "I meant I think he told you that just so he could have lunch with you. He guilt-tripped you into sitting down and talking more with him. I was just surprised that you didn't catch that. I guess you can be oblivious sometimes."

"Oh." Well _that_ changed things. The embarrassment crept its way back to Yuuri's face, replacing the disappointment from a moment ago. "I don't know, Phichit. I doubt he would do that just to talk to someone like me. That's too much and kind of far-fetched." When he caught his friend's dark grey eyes, he was surprised to find him in shock. "Phichit?"

"Yuuri Katsuki, you are an incredible person who knows how to attract the attention of our school's number one tennis player and flirt. If you think for one second he doesn't mean what he's doing, then so help me I will make you understand. Got it?"

"I think so? Although I'm not sure-"

"Good enough. Now, what are we going to do about his jacket?" Phichit brought a hand to his chin before slamming his fist into the palm of his other hand. "I got it! You should keep it, and pretend to keep forgetting it if Viktor asks for it back. On the other hand, if Viktor doesn't ask for it, then I say you keep it until he brings it up. That way you get to keep the jacket for as long as possible. You could also show up in it to your shared class with him and walk in late, so he sees it. That'll embarrass him to no end and leave him speechless. If he asks for it back after class, then you could say you didn't want to carry it, so you decided to wear it instead. If he doesn't ask for it back, then he definitely wants you to keep it. I like the second idea. What do you think?" Phichit was thrown into a laughing fit again as he found Yuuri burning red all over and glancing at the floor like it was going to sink in at any moment.

"Th-Those are ridiculous, Phichit! I can't just walk into that class with _his_ jacket on. People are going to say something! They might twist the idea into something else that it isn't. Plus, I could end up making Viktor mad! It's a terrible idea. I'll just hand it to him after class on Monday."

Phichit calmed down into smaller giggles but agreed nonetheless. "Alright, alright. This time, remember to tell me what happens. You don't have to run back to our room. Just send me a text, so you can hang out with Viktor longer. I wouldn't want to ruin the campus's newest and most adorable couple's time together."

Yuuri groaned and threw his face into the pillow on his bed. "Is your job to humiliate me everyday?"

"It might as well be, since I'm so great at it."

" _Phichit."_

The rest of the evening was spent with them collaborating as to what to do with the jacket, before settling down and watching a movie on Yuuri's bed. Halfway through, Yuuri fell asleep. Phichit cleared the mess of popcorn as best he could and moved the laptop to Yuuri's desk before laying his friend down in a more comfortable position. Yuuri only stirred a little when Phichit moved him and laid his sheets over him but never woke up. Phichit smiled and left for his own bed right after, quickly falling asleep like Yuuri had minutes ago. Before losing consciousness, he hoped that the dreams would leave Yuuri alone for just this one night. His wish vanished just as fast as his eyes closed.

.

. . .

.

 _I sit on the floor of the cell I was thrown back into and think about what happened and what the face of my lover looked when he heard I was pronounced guilty. I just wish I was able to hold him one last time, to sit in his arms happily as we think about nothing but that moment. It was never to be. I'm pulled from my thoughts when a guard opens the door and informs me I have a visitor. I don't understand how I have a visitor left to see me since my family left moments ago. They never let visitors in who don't know the prisoners or are carrying a weapon, so I find it peculiar that someone requested to see me. The guard holds the door open as a stranger wearing a cloak covering every inch of himself walks in. He nods to the guard, who hesitates to close the door before doing so. As soon as the guard is gone behind the door, the stranger lunges at me, throwing us both to the ground. The chains at my hands and feet clink and clang together on the stones and pull at the wooden pillar they're attached to. Expecting this stranger to kill me, I close my eyes and wait for the inevitable. And then nothing happens. The stranger sobs onto my chest, while we lie down on the cold, hard stones of my cell. It isn't until the stranger speaks that I finally piece together who it is._

 _"I missed you so much! This is unfair! Unjust! Why is this happening?!"_

 _It's him. The sobs begin to wrack my body as I hold him closer to myself, slipping the hood of his cloak off. It's really him. "You shouldn't be here." But I continue to cry. His presence was all I was wishing for, and I selfishly got it. "You need to leave."_

 _"I paid the guard handsomely. You don't have to worry. I missed you so much. I want to take you away from here. I want to escape with you."_

 _"Those are very selfish desires." I laugh despite the tears, letting them fall harder and harder onto the stones beneath us._

 _"So is your decision to die without me. You should've said you weren't guilty. You should've said exactly what was happening. You should've made up a lie. Something. Anything! I don't want you to leave me. Not ever. You can't. Not again."_

 _"And then have them put you on trial for wrongdoings against the gods? I wouldn't want that for you. They would only blame me for taunting you, for making you go against your own will. It would be my fault in the end anyway. This was unavoidable. If one of us was to go, then I decided it would be best for it to be me." I stroke his hair as he continues to cry, my love for him ready to burst at any moment, but I remind myself that we need to be careful. That he shouldn't be here because he could get caught._

 _"The most they would have me do is resent my title to the throne because I would've confessed to doing such wrongdoings. We would be able to run away together just as we planned before any of this happened."_

 _"You are suited for the throne. I know you will make a fine king someday. Please don't do anything irrational like asking your father for forgiveness for me. That was probably a mistake." I laughed again at the sullen memory._

 _He leans up to look at me and rubs at his tear-stricken eyes, laughing along with me. "It might have been, but I don't care. I spent the whole night trying to convince him that letting you go would show that the King has compassion. That didn't sit well with him at all. He yelled at me saying that I might as well let all the prisoners go then because letting the murderer who tried to kill royalty go is the worst crime and no other criminal that is currently locked away has attempted to do so. I yelled back some not-so-polite words of my own before leaving the small counsel. I shouldn't have done that either, but I did."_

 _I laugh at the overconfidence that lines his tone because this is the type of thing he would do. It doesn't surprise me in the least bit, but I do wish he would think about his actions beforehand. "They might question why you seem so intent on my release."_

 _"Let them. I can't wait for my own trial then."_

 _I would laugh, but I can't find it within myself to do so. "I love you. So very much. Please know that."_

 _"I've known that since long before we met. I love you as well. More so than you do." His eyes glaze over with a look I am all too familiar with, and he leans forward, kissing me with passion I will forever miss. I don't hesitate for a moment, against my better judgement, and move my lips against his. The feeling is heavy with so many different emotions, our hands tangle in each other's hair and his legs wrap around my own despite the chains limiting my movements. I feel the tears in my eyes again as we pull away, both of us gasping for breath._

 _"I love you." He says as he struggles to stand. I sit up and lean against the wooden pillar my chains are attached to, admiring his kiss-bruised lips and now disheveled hair._

 _"I love you more."_

 _He wipes away one last tear as the guard opens the door and asks for him to leave. He pulls his hood back up and takes one long last look at me before taking his leave._

 _As soon as he's gone, I let go of the tears once more. I will never see him. I love him so much, and now I will pay the price for it._


	3. Beginnings

Yuuri pushed the bridge of his glasses up and yawned as he opened the door to the campus library with the hand that wasn't carrying textbooks. Due to another shockingly vivid dream, he was up at the crack of dawn. Deciding that instead of waking up Phichit or trying to unsuccessfully fall back asleep, he hoped to get some studying in that he had been neglecting as of lately. Yuuri took a right past the main lobby and entered a bigger room that held dangling chandeliers and long windows. Every few feet was another elongated wooden desk that had three lamps stationed along them. The room held shelves upon shelves of books ranging from hundreds of different topics. As Yuuri walked farther into the room, he noticed someone in particular that he knew from another class, Christophe Giacometti. Chris noticed him and flagged him down, making a gesture for Yuuri to join him. They weren't that close, but they did talk every now and then. Chris was one of the closest people to Viktor, which made him hard to approach, so Yuuri tended to keep his distance. But Chris being Chris, that didn't work out well, and his personal space was always ignored when he arrived to class after him.

Yuuri hesitantly pulled a chair out across from him and set his books down on the table, giving him a shy smile. "Hello, Chris." He sat down and opened the first of three textbooks. "I didn't think I'd see you here."

"You don't think I study, Yuuri? I'm almost offended." Chris gave him an look over, which made Yuuri squirm. He noticed and laughed at Yuuri's discomfort.

"Sorry..." He pushed up his glasses again and tried to focus on the book in front of him. Chris wasn't making it easy by continuing to stare him down. "Is there something wrong?" He glanced up from the textbook to meet green eyes turned in amusement.

"What kind of late-night activities have you been partaking in?"

Yuuri turned beet red at the comment and shoved his glasses up his face as he cowered closer to the book. Considering this was Chris, it wasn't surprising at all to hear that kind of question from him. "W-What exactly do you mean?"

"What's been keeping you up?" Chris leaned forward and propped his right hand up, setting his chin on it. "You look like a mess."

Yuuri sighed and tilted his head back against the chair. "I had trouble sleeping last night. It's not that big of a deal."

"Hmm? Could it be Vitya's fault?" Chris leaned forward more, a smile of amusement playing on his lips. "He's been having a few sleepless nights as well. I must've missed the party you two decided to go to." Yuuri's cheeks seemed unable to lose the color on them.

Curiously, Yuuri leaned forward, the books all but forgotten along with Chris's jokes. "He has? He never looks like there's anything wrong..." He recalled the match he watched just yesterday and how excited about everything Viktor seemed. Imagining him exhausted and up all night like Yuuri was just didn't seem fit. As he started to lose himself in thought, Chris spoke up again.

"He's good at pretending. I told him if becoming the number one tennis player in the world doesn't work out, then he should become an actor. He has the looks for it, too. I think you would agree, no?" His thick accent fell through on the last line, embarrassing Yuuri further. "Don't tell him I told you that. Although I don't think he would mind telling you about it. Or anything in general." Chris laughed and settled back into his chair.

Yuuri sat and thought of the words, realizing how well Viktor hid everything. Then it hit him. How good of an actor was Viktor? The thoughts he had been suppressing since his last talk with Phichit returned, and they were all he could think about. What if Viktor forgot to ask him about the jacket on purpose? What if he had a plan to mess with him and this was just a part of it? He was never really in the spotlight, more in the background where he liked to be. That would explain why Viktor Nikiforov of all people had started talking to him in the first place. He was just acting blind because he happened to have a crush on him. Maybe Viktor already knew that.

Chris stared at him in confusion as different emotions flickered across his face. After a moment of his internal panic, Yuuri stood up and picked up his books. "Thanks, Chris. I'll see you in class on Tuesday." Chris could only watch as he practically ran out of the library.

Yuuri kept his down as he walked, praying he didn't run into anyone else he knew. He regretted going to the library now and headed in the opposite direction towards the back of the campus, where a gazebo overlooking a small pond stood. It was a nice little place, even though sometimes it was ruined by the few students who smoked on campus. It was somewhere he liked to go to clear his mind and get work done if he had the chance to. His only regret about the walk was how you had to take a path past the tennis courts to get to it. Most of the sports fields were towards the back of the campus. If you took a right instead of going straight to the gazebo, you'd make it to the football field and sports complex. The tennis courts were separated by the other sports buildings and fields by a newer building that housed the upperclassmen's dorms. The dorms were where the biggest parties were held and more obviously where Viktor stayed. Phichit had gone to one of the parties there and had told him all about it. It definitely was not his kind of crowd, which made him think of what Chris said again. It wasn't until he heard someone calling out his name that he realized he zoned out again.

"uuri! Yuuri! Hey, Yuuri!"

Yuuri turned towards the sound of the noise and saw Viktor running down from the hill the tennis courts stood at. His internal panic began again, not really feeling up to talk to the one his thoughts were focused on. His mind was a mess and unsure if Viktor really meant anything. They _had_ only spent one day together, but it was enough to make him think in every different direction. He hurried his pace to avoid the tennis player, hoping to be left alone if he didn't face Viktor longer than he already had. Clutching his books tightly, he walked faster, only to be stopped by the hand on his shoulder. He whipped his head around to face Viktor's own.

"I thought you heard me, Yuuri. You must be pretty busy if you didn't hear me. I accidently hit a tennis ball outside the court and was hoping you could get it for me. I got in anyway." Viktor smiled and held up the object he was talking about. "I was playing against Georgi - Do you remember Georgi? He plays second singles - and got a little too cocky. I smashed the ball on him, but then it went over the fence and Yakov started to yell at me for goofing off and made me get it. Not that I mind anymore, since I got to see you this early in the morning, which reminds me. Why are you up so early today?" Viktor released his grip on Yuuri's shoulder and stared at him with curiosity.

"I went to study for a bit." Yuuri avoided his gaze and stepped back a bit, not really ready to face him at the moment. Not with his mind going in so many different places since his little meeting with Chris.

Viktor seemed to notice him being stand-offish. "Is everything alright? You don't look okay. Are you sick?"

Yuuri opened his mouth to speak but didn't really know what to say. After a moment of delay, he finally spoke. "I'm fine, just in a hurry. I have to go." He turned around and began in the direction of the gazebo again, only to be stopped by Viktor's hand on his shoulder again.

"Are you sure? You could watch my practice if you wanted. You don't have to, though! I just thought that since you were done studying, you would like to. If you don't feel up to it, that's fine too. I get it. I completely understand. You can always stop by and watch, though, if that's something you want to do. I don't really do much at practice anyway. I only play against the others, and Yakov yells at me for no reason and-"

"I _have_ to go. Thanks, though." Yuuri yanked his shoulder out of Viktor's grasp and walked faster along the path. Later, he promised. He would talk to him later, after he organized his thoughts. Now was not the time of that just yet.

"Alright, that's fine. I get it. Definitely. Bye, Yuuri!"

Yuuri didn't dare turn around to look at him. If he did, he might've broke and said he'd stay instead of doing what he said he would.

 _Later. Not now._

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

"Chris! Finally! Where were you?!" It had been an hour since Viktor's practice ended, and he had been dying to talk to Chris about what happened. It had left him uneasy, and he wasn't sure what to do for the first time. Yuuri had flat-out ignored him and ran away from him. Viktor threw himself off his bed and practically ran to meet his roommate at the door.

"I was exactly where I told you I would be. Did you miss me that much, Vitya?" Chris grinned as he pushed past him and set a textbook down on his desk. "I was at the library studying for a Political Science test coming up. It's the class your little boyfriend is in. In speaking of which, he showed up for a few minutes before running out. I guess he remembered about his hot date for tonight." He dumped his bag on the floor and sat down in his desk chair, spinning around to face Viktor.

"Yuuri was with you? What did you tell him? Why did he run out? Did he say anything before he that?" Viktor leaned against Chris's desk, staring straight at him expectantly.

Chris quirked an eyebrow at him. "You haven't seen him in twenty-four hours, and you're already having withdrawals. If you want to talk to him, you could just-"

"I have talked to him. That's why I'm asking you these questions." When Chris said nothing, Viktor gave an exasperated sigh and started to pace back and forth in the small space that was their room. "I saw him walking, so I launched a tennis ball in his direction to talk to him. When I called out to him, he didn't answer, so I just thought that he was busy or thinking. He turned to look at me, but then looked away and walked faster. It felt like he was trying to avoid me!" Viktor started to use obnoxious hand motions. "He barely even answered me when I stopped and started talking to him. He said he had to go and ran away from me. Or at least that's what it looked like. Does he hate me? Why would he run away from me? I'm so confused, Chris. I thought things were going well. Was I being selfish?" Viktor ran his left hand through the fringe of his hair, pulling at the strands lightly in frustration and utter confusion.

"I don't know, Vitya. He ran away from me, too." Chris shrugged and faced a paper that was sitting on his desk. "He acts like this every once in awhile. It happens when he over thinks about something. I don't think much of it anymore."

"How do you know that?" Viktor squinted at Chris in suspicion.

"I've been sitting next to him in my Political Sciences class since the beginning of the term. He's very easy to figure out after awhile. He has some of the most _adorable_ little quirks. Just wait until you figure them out." Chris winked at Viktor before getting back to the paper he started to write.

Viktor crossed his arms in response and leaned up against the wall next to Chris's desk. "I think I'm annoyed you know more about him than I do. What did you say to him? I doubt you didn't say anything that would make him run."

"How cold of you. First Yuuri and now you." That made Viktor raise an eyebrow of his own, but he let Chris continue anyway. "I only gave him a little insider tip about you. Nothing that would've made him run like he did. Why are you so worried?"

Shouldn't he be worried? "Why wouldn't I be? He ran away from me, Chris. He didn't want to talk to me at all. I must've done something that he hates."

"Maybe he accidentally just shrunk your jacket and doesn't want to tell you." Chris laughed as Viktor deadpanned from where he was standing.

"What if that's why?"

"Vitya, I was jo-"

"That makes so much sense! If that's what it is, I'm a little upset, but I don't care too much. Maybe it'll fit him better now. Chris, I'd have an excuse to give it to him now. He can _keep_ the jacket because it won't fit me. He can wear it _whenever_ he wants to because it'll be his. We'll be already sharing clothes! You're brilliant, Chris!" Viktor bent down and hugged Chris before backing away and throwing himself onto his bed. "I can't wait to see him in Advanced Public Speaking tomorrow now. This is going to be great! He's going to get really embarrassed and turn red again. Chris, he turns a beautiful shade of red when he gets embarrassed or cold. I just want to wrap my arms around him, but that would be too much. I might scare him that way. But he'll be wearing my jacket after tomorrow! Oh god, how am I going to function with him in it? _Oh god,_ Chris. What am I going to do?" Viktor shot up straight on the bed, staring at the wall it was backed up against in horror. "I won't be able to breathe. _How am I going to breathe?"_

Chris spun his chair around and looked at how disheveled Viktor looked. "You already look like you can't breathe. I was joking, Vitya. I doubt he shrunk your jacket."

"I'm still going to let him keep it."

"Don't you need it for games?"

"Nope. I'm the only one who still wears that jacket. Everyone either wears the blue and white one or the vest. Yakov will be happy that I'll actually be matching the team now, though. See? That's another reason why I should let Yuuri Katsuki keep it." Viktor excitedly faced Chris.

Chris rolled his eyes and settled back into writing his paper. "Tell me how it goes tomorrow, lover boy."

"Sure thing!"

.

. . .

.

 _Today is it. I know today's my last day because the guards who usually sit at my door enter my cell and tell me to get up. This is it. I try not to think of him because I know I will break like I did when he visited me. As the guards haul me down hallway after hallway and finally into the light, I'm unsurprised to find that they've set up a stage for this event. The King, his Queen, and he are there standing. Waiting. His gaze locks with mine, and I give him a smile regardless of the situation we're in right now. The whole city is here to watch me perish. I'm once again unsurprised. Events like public executions are always in front of everyone. It's morbid and terrible. He tells me all the time how much he hates it. He's going to be such a kind king. I told him that everyday when we met. I told him my last night with him, too. And I told him the time we got caught, which started this whole catastrophe. I'm lucky they didn't catch us when we were being more intimate. He's lucky. We both are. Although the results might have been the same. We'll never know, which might be a good thing._

 _As the guards hoist me onto the stage, another two take my arms and force me onto my knees in front of the crowd. I know how this is supposed to go. I've seen it hundreds of times._

 _"Admit to your crimes, you worthless peasant."_

 _I suck in a deep breath and glance once at him before turning back towards the crowds. He's in pain. I don't want him to be in pain, but there's nothing I can do. I wish he skipped this. I wish he was told not to come, but the king would never let him. He's a stubborn man, and he thinks he knows loyalty and honour and justice. But the king doesn't. My love does. He knows everything about everything on how to properly rule a kingdom such as this. I'm so proud of him. I'll watch over him as he rules. That I promise._

 _"I am guilty of attempting to end the life of the Prince. I would've done so with the deed if I had not been caught." I catch him out of the corner of my eye shaking his head. How can he still be telling me no? He knows this is what I've chosen. This is my selfish desire. For one last time, I want to have one. I want him to accept it however it ends up._

 _The King looks smug, but he spits in my direction. I take it without so much as a flinch._

 _"Bow your head."_

 _I do as I'm told and shiver as freezing cold hands harshly push my hair away from the nape of my neck. I glance over at him, this time longer. We hold eye contact for a moment, a single tear slides down his cheek. He tries to make it look unnoticeable, which almost makes me laugh. He used to do that a lot whenever we were intimate. It was so endearing, and I'm going to miss it. I mouth I love you to him, hoping he understands the words. as he seems to because the tears keep rolling down his cheeks. Then he takes out a miniscule vial. I would've missed it if it wasn't for the gleam of sun that streaks along it. My eyes go wide with the realization. It's poison. I know it is. And I know exactly what he's going to do. He mouths I love you too back, and now I can feel the tears in my own eyes. I try to shake my head slightly, so no one else sees it. No. He needs to become a better king. He needs to continue to live. I don't want him choosing such a decision like death. I scream as he tips the vial back and discards it in the sleeve of his garments. He smiles as blood begins to fall from his nose, signalling the start of the poison flowing in his system. No! My screams are cut short. Something cold and sharp hits the back of my neck, and pain begins to sear through me for a second. And then I'm enveloped in darkness._

 _Nothing but darkness._

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

"Phichit, there's no way I'm wearing this to class! Viktor's going to think I'm a creep. He'll probably just laugh at me with his friends. There's no way I'm going to walk through the doors of that classroom wearing his jacket." Yuuri turned away from the mirror to look at Phichit. He was wearing Viktor's jacket upon his friend's suggestion, but as he continued to gaze at his reflection in the mirror, the worse the idea seemed. "I'm not doing it."

"You're right. You might kill him if you walk in wearing it. I feel bad for the poor janitor that'll have to clean his nosebleed off the desk and floor. His friends might hate you because Viktor will be too busy staring at you to even hold a normal conversation with him. I wish I had that class now just to see poor Viktor's reaction." Phichit started laughing as Yuuri rolled his eyes at him. "Please, please, _please_ wear the jacket to class! I won't ask anything of you ever again! You can even tell him it was all my fault! I'll take the blame for this. I'm so proud of it after all." His smug grin was back as he studied Yuuri staring at his reflection again.

"I don't know, Phichit..."

"Pleeeeaaaase? With a cherry on top?"

"This isn't a good idea..."

"I'll make you katsudon." Phichit pointed a finger at him and smiled, hoping his friend would cave.

"You don't even know how to make that." Yuuri laughed and glanced down at the red jacket he was currently wearing.

"I can FaceTime your sister and ask. I know she speaks English, too. I'll get it, buy the ingredients, and make it especially for you." Phichit began to excitedly bounce on his bed.

Yuuri mumbled something as he stared at his reflection for what felt like the millionth time that morning. The thought of katsudon _did_ sound good. When Phichit put a hand behind his ear and leaned forward on the bed, he spoke just a bit louder. "I said fine I'll do it." Before his roommate could party any louder, Yuuri interrupted him. "BUT I am telling him you made me do this. I am _not_ getting in trouble with him because of this." He turned away from the mirror and flushed at the idea of him walking in and wearing Viktor's jacket. "You owe me katsudon."

"I knew that would make you give in."

Yuuri took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was either going to go really well or ruin the rest of his college career. He opened his eyes and grabbed his backpack, heading for the door. "If I'm alive by the end of the class, I'll see you then."

"Or if Viktor isn't shoving you up against a wall." He grinned again as Yuuri became crimson red.

"Bye." He hurried out of the room and towards his Advanced Public Speaking class.

It felt like as soon as he stepped out of the dorms, everyone who passed was staring at him. Whether it was his paranoia or it was actually happening, the thought wasn't making him feel any better. He nearly ran all the way to the building the lecture hall was located in. He debated whether or not to take it off almost the whole way. As he pushed open the door, he _immediately_ regretted agreeing to such a dumb decision. All conversation in the room ceased as he made his way to his seat towards the right top of the hall and sat down, pulling out a notebook and a pencil as well. He tried to shrink down into his seat as he felt all the eyes on him, especially _his._ Viktor was definitely the one person he did _not_ want to make eye contact with. His reaction was the only one that would tell him if this idea was a good one or a terrible, _terrible_ one. The professor walked in moments later and began the class. Yuuri tried his best to pay attention, but the eyes on him were making it impossible to focus. There was one point in the lecture he glanced up from his notes to whatever the teacher was displaying on the board, and he made the mistake of sneaking a peek at Viktor. He seemed to be having a hard time on his side of the classroom. Yuuri found himself staring for longer once Viktor dropped his pencil after the third time. And then they made eye contact. And Yuuri began to regret it again. He could feel the heat on his face, but for some reason, kept staring. Viktor was the first to break away as the teacher called on him. He snickered as Viktor seemed completely dumbfounded by whatever the question was. Viktor looked back at him and opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He turned back towards the teacher, who gave up on him and moved on to ask another student the same question. Yuuri snickered again, and Viktor looked back over at him. He grinned and Viktor's mouth turned slack-jawed. Yuuri put a hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing as loud as he wanted to. From across the room, Viktor sharply turned his attention back to his notebook and kept glancing at Yuuri every now and then during the class.

By the time the class had ended, Yuuri spent longer time than usual putting his materials back into his bag. Viktor seemed to slow up his movements, making them some of the last few people left in the room. As Yuuri made his way down the steps towards the door, he noticed Viktor practically stumbling down them parallel to him, eyes still trained on Yuuri. He broke through the door and kept walking, until he heard Viktor's voice trail after him.

"Yuuri! Wait!" Viktor was out of breath by the time he caught up to the other, much to his enjoyment.

Yuuri smiled and turned around. "Hi, Viktor."

Viktor's mouth was parted slightly and his eyes flicked from the jacket to Yuuri's face and then back to the jacket. Yuuri suppressed the laugh that was bubbling up in him from Viktor's reaction. He would have to thank Phichit for this.

"I... you... my jacket..." Viktor said the last part a little breathlessly, adding to the giddiness Yuuri was now feeling.

Pretending to not notice, Yuuri glanced down at the jacket and pulled at the front a bit. "Oh, this. I couldn't find my sweatshirt, so I grabbed the first jacket I could find. I like the color of it I guess." He looked back up to find Viktor's blue eyes still blown wide. A small giggle escaped him.

" _You guess...?"_ Viktor ran a hand through his hair harshly, eyes still moving up and down Yuuri's figure.

"It's okay. A little bright for me, but I guess it's meant for a tennis all star who own pink Cadillacs." Yuuri started laughing harder when Viktor's jaw dropped lower than it had in the class. Yuuri put one of his hands over his mouth, the sleeve of the jacket almost covering his hand with its length.

"You... you're _unbelievable_." Viktor shook his head as he released his hair from the vice grip he kept it in. "Yuuri Katsuki, you are something else."

"I'm sorry." He spoke between giggles, while Viktor was still trying to process what was happening. Then the embarrassment started to sink in, and all of a sudden, Yuuri felt self-conscious again like he had this morning. "I'm really sorry. I wanted to just hand the jacket back to you, but Phichit said to do this. I wasn't sure about it, but then I saw the way you looked and-"

" _No."_

Yuuri stopped rambling and stared curiously at Viktor.

"I mean don't be sorry. This was... you're so... keep the jacket." Viktor glanced at the jacket on him again. " _Please_."

Yuuri turned red and cast his eyes on the ground, bringing the hand in front of his mouth closer to himself. "Are you sure?"

" _Absolutely_. You can wear it to my matches if you're ever able to come again." Viktor beamed at the thought, his own cheeks inflamed still. Yuuri peeked up from the ground and caught his smile, giving one of his own.

"O-Okay."

They stared at each other for a moment, before Viktor broke the silence.

"I uh- I have to-" Viktor fumbled around with his bag.

"No, right. I have-" Yuuri hurriedly pointed in the direction of his dorm room.

"Of course."

"Right."

The silence returned, both just staring at each other again.

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Neither moved. It took Viktor a full minute before he finally ran off and waved obnoxiously. Yuuri waved back more timidly, waiting for Viktor to step out of his line of view before breaking into a jog himself.

.

. . .

.

"So you're still wearing the jacket. That's a good sign." Phichit's smile was only half as bright as Yuuri's own lopsided one as he entered the room and threw his backpack near the entrance of the dorm room.

"Thank you." Yuuri tackled him into a hug from where Phichit was sitting on his own bed. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."

"Yuuri, relax." Phichit laughed as he hugged him back. "Did you two make out or something? What did Viktor say? Was he able to say anything?" Phichit sat them upright and let go of the other, staring impatiently into coffee-colored eyes.

"He was a mess during class." Yuuri laughed at the memory. "Then after class, he tried to speak, but he looked completely lost. I probably teased him more than I should've, but he didn't seem mad."

"You did what? I almost pity the poor man now." Phichit laughed along with Yuuri for a moment. "What else happened? Your class ended a while ago, so I can't imagine that's all there was to it. Plus you came back this happy."

Yuuri sat with his legs crossed in front of Phichit, hands leaning forward on the bed in front of himself while his smile never faded. As Yuuri explained the rest of his conversation with Viktor, Phichit's grin began to match the size of Yuuri's.

"Okay. Okay. Okay. Now you have to go to his next match, but don't tell him you're going! Say you have plans with me that day, and then surprise him. It would be so cute if you brought him something, too! Maybe like a small gift or chocolates or I don't know anything to give him when he wins his match. He would love that!"

"That wouldn't seem like too much? What would he even like? I don't want to give him something he hates."

Phichit and Yuuri sat and thought in silence before Phichit seemed to have come up with an idea. "I've got it!" He leaned forward and whispered what he was thinking to Yuuri before pulling away and examined his roommate's now reddened face.

"I-I don't know about that... That's a little..."

"It's perfect! He'll melt in your hands if he hasn't already! I'll even help you if you want. Time to take a trip to the craft store, my friend!" Phichit threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up abruptly. "Come on. You know more about him than I do. I'm going to need an expert's help!"

Yuuri took a deep breath and followed his leave, the burn on his face threatened to stay. "F-Fine. But nothing over the top! Just a small one."

"Aye, aye captain!" Phichit saluted him, grabbed his jacket, and shoved his shoes on.

Yuuri went to take the red jacket off but was stopped by Phichit's hand.

"Keep it on! It'll be helpful, too."

Yuuri's face darkened as he slipped his shoes on and fell behind Phichit as they made their way out of the dorm room.

.

. . .

.

"He _wore_ the jacket. _Holy shit, he wore the jacket._ _My_ jacket. He wore _my_ jacket to class! Not just that, but he knew what he was doing, too!" Viktor threw himself onto his Chris's bed as his roommate continued to work on the paper he had started yesterday. Viktor groaned into the pillow. "He's out to kill me."

Chris whistled and turned towards the mess that was his friend on his bed. "Wow. Impressive. I would've _loved_ to see that. I never pictured Yuuri as one to do that. I should ask him about it in class tomorrow."

"Don't. No, wait." Viktor flung his platinum hair up off the pillow. "Please do. I want to know what he was thinking. Or maybe I want to hear it from him."

"I'm asking him anyway. If you want to know, just ask me."

"I told you I don't like you knowing more about him than I do. Don't ask." Viktor glared the Swiss, who chuckled in response.

"It's not my fault you didn't sit next to him at the start of the semester like I did. He's _quite_ entertaining." He waggled his eyebrows.

Viktor smiled threateningly at him. If looks could kill, Chris would've been dead. "If you even touch him, I will break your fingers one by one."

Chris whistled again. "So territorial. How cute~" He turned back to the paper in front of him, bringing the pen to paper again.

"Don't think I won't."

"I believe you~ The way you talk about him speaks for itself. I'm not going to take him from you, trust me, but if you somehow lose interest, I'll be the first to swoop in." Chris looked up and winked at him before focusing again.

"I won't."

"I know. I'm just saying."

" _I won't_." Viktor practically hissed at the other, much to Chris's amusement.

"So when are you going to ask him out?"

Viktor spaced out, unsure of what to think or even say. "What?"

This garnered a raised eyebrow from Chris as he set down his pen, this time for good since apparently work wasn't going to be a thing as long as Viktor was gushing about the Japanese man. "You're all over him already. I'm surprised you haven't asked him to marry you."

Viktor's cheeks lit up a bright pink at the new image he was greeted with. "I want to see him in a tux now."

"Don't get ahead of yourself, but seriously. Have you really not asked him out, Vitya?" When Viktor shook his head, Chris all but groaned himself. "Vitya, how have you not? He's all you've been talking about since last week. I'm embarrassed for you."

"We've only talked five times. It would feel too soon if I asked him out."

"Didn't you go on a date with him?"

Viktor thought back to them hanging out in the small cafétogether. Alone. Just the two of them. Did Yuuri think it was a date? Did _he_ think that himself? Was that considered a date. "Was it a date?"

"How are you this dense? What happened to the number one most eligible bachelor on campus?"

"Yuuri Katsuki happened."

"You might want to figure out what to do about him not being your boyfriend yet."

Viktor went pale suddenly at the reminder of something else he hadn't done yet. "Chris, I've screwed up."

"I've been telling you that for a few minutes now. I'm glad you stopped thinking about him for five seconds to finally process what I've said."

"I forgot to invite him to my next match. _Oh god,_ I'm a _mess!"_ Viktor threw his head back down into the pillow and made noises that were similar to an animal dying. "It's on Wednesday. I don't see him before Wednesday. I was going to, but I forgot. I'm so dumb, Chris. How could I have let him wearing my jacket make me forget. I can't do anything right."

"You used to be able to. That's alright. I can tell his friend to pass on the message later today."

"His friend?" Viktor looked up from the pillows in confusion.

"I have a class with his friend at six-thirty tonight. We don't sit near each other, but I think I can figure it out."

Viktor had to try not to jump at his friend in happiness. "You're a lifesaver, Chris."

"What would you do without me~"

"Sleep better at night."

Chris laughed and returned to his paper.

.

. . .

.

By the time of Phichit's class for the night, he had to excuse himself from the disorder that was his and Yuuri's room. After they had returned from the store, they had immediately gone to work on Viktor's surprise, and Phichit was impressed with their progress. Unfortunately, he had a class to attend, so he had to leave, much to his dismay. He tried to talk Yuuri into letting him skip, but he wouldn't hear it. They did compromise on stopping their work on it until Phichit got back. The Thai was now sitting in a small classroom, writing up notes for their project and what to add to it when he got back, when a man he was all-too-familiar with walked in and set his belongings next to him. Phichit glanced up from his notebook and gave him a questioning look. The man known as Chris, Viktor's best friend and roommate, sat down with a smile that hid his true intent for his new seat. Phichit was going to ask why when the teacher suddenly walked in. Chris jotted something down on the notebook in front of him and pushed it towards the edge of his desk for Phichit to see. He casually leaned onto his left arm and read the note directed to him.

 **I have a message for your little friend**

Phichit looked up at him and rose an eyebrow before jotting down an answer on his own notebook. Chris turned back to the front of the room, pretending to listen to whatever the teacher was saying, but clearly was more focused on the pencil in the Thai's hand. Phichit pushed the notebook towards Chris and tapped his index finger against it. Chris caught the sound and quickly glanced down at it.

 **who and what is it**

Chris smiled and began scribbling back his answer. As if sensing what they were doing, the teacher called on Phichit to answer, who was able to say the correct thing. The teacher nodded and went back to the lecture and asking more questions to the other students in the room. Chris tapped back a minute later when he had written his response and pushed the notebook towards the edge of the desk.

 **Vitya wants Yuuri to come to his match on wednesday 3 can he make it**

Phichit grinned at the paper, giddy now that his and Yuuri's surprise could go into action. It was almost perfect the way things were going. Phichit pulled his notebook closer to himself and pretended to think of an answer, counting on his fingers for no reason at all but to prolong his response. After a moment of hesitation, Phichit wrote in reply, scribbled something out, and wrote again, finally pushing the notebook towards Chris.

 **idk he has a class around that time ill check w/ him**

Chris looked up from the paper to give Phichit a sideways glance. It was brief, but Phichit could tell Chris knew what he was doing. He didn't care in the least bit. Chris seemed to hesitate as well in his response this time, purposely drawing out the seconds before sliding the paper in the other's direction.

 **ill let Vitya know - hes going to be p disappointed**

Phichit shrugged his shoulders enough for Chris to notice before writing something down. If Chris was going to keep up their little game, then he wasn't going to slack now. Once he was done, he pushed the notebook onto the edge of his desk. Chris leaned forward and grinned.

 **so will Yuuri - they may just have to do something afterwards instead if his class lets out on time this week Ms Baranovskaya really lives up to her nickname Ms B**

Chris gave him a look before dropping his notebook to the ground and signaled for Phichit to pick it up. Phichit caught on and leaned down to get it, Chris's voice low in his ear.

"I know what you're doing. Very funny, but I don't like messing with Vitya when he's already a mess himself. Pass on the message to Yuuri. I see him Wednesday and will get the answer from him then."

Phichit stood up, dropped the notebook on Chris's desk, and grinned at. "Deal." He said it loud enough for Chris to hear, but quietly, so no one around them would.

When the class let out, Chris shoved the notebook into his back and cast one more look at Phichit, who was still grinning at him. "I suppose you'll do what's best for your friend."

"Always more, nothing less." Phichit picked up his back and bound towards the front of the room where the door was. "Tell Viktor I said hi, and I'll hurt myself if he tries anything funny!" The Thai waved and and sauntered out of the classroom, leaving Chris behind.

.

. . .

.

"So?" Viktor leaned forward on Chris's bed, not having moved since their conversation before Chris's class.

"Well," Chris walked past the entryway and tossed his backpack onto the ground, "he was having a little fun playing hard to get. He claims that Yuuri has a class that day, but I don't know how true that is."

"I'll go verify that." Viktor went to stand up, but Chris shook his head.

"You look desperate, Vitya."

"Chris, I _am_ desperate."

Chris shook his head and sat down on Viktor's bed. "Could you at least try to act like yourself? Vitya, he's going to come. _You_ invited him. Phichit is just trying to make him look hard to get."

"He _is_ hard to get." Viktor threw his back onto the bed and sighed, long and loudly. "I hope he comes."

"That won't be hard if you actually get down on him." Chris grinned, clearly proud of his joke while Viktor groaned in frustration.

"Not helping."

"Nor is lying on my bed all day."

Viktor couldn't help but think about what Phichit had apparently told Chris. At least he didn't say no. That was a start. Even if he didn't come, then Viktor would see him in class on Friday. That was doable at least. He could wait. What if he showed up outside one of Yuuri's classes this week? Would that be okay? "Chris, what class do you have with him?" He could pretend to meet up with Chris and be surprised when Yuuri walks out. They could walk together, maybe get something to eat together, or maybe he could give Yuuri a ride in his Cadillac again. He liked making fun of him for it after all. That would be fun, even if Yuuri mocked him the entire ride. He could just bring up the jacket. Maybe get Yuuri to blush again. That would be-

"Political Science. Why? Are you going to transfer in?" Chris smirked at him.

"No, but I'd like to visit after class."

Chris's smirk widened. "I knew it had to do with him. It's in the main building on the second floor, third room on the right. Maybe I won't bring up the match in class if you plan on showing up." Chris scooted back against the wall.

"Good. Don't. I will." Viktor smiled, excited for Wednesday to come around.

.

. . .

.

 _I hold my sword steadily in front of me and wave to the crowd proudly. It's my third time in the coliseum, and I'm currently undefeated. I can tell everyone is excited for the match, for I am as well. The feeling of having the entire stadium cheering with me is incredible. They announce my name as the crowd roars it back to me. I thrust my sword into the air, enjoying the thrill my audience gets out of it. The sand beneath me spins as I turn in every direction, exciting the crowd further. Even though I enjoy the attention the crowd gives me, all I can think of is seeing the excitement in my lover's eyes. He never likes coming to the arena out of fear for my life, but he does so anyway to support me. He's everything I could ask for and so much more. And then they announce the name of my opponent. And my heart drops and eyes are drawn to the gate my challenger is walking out of._

 _It's him._

 _Why is it him?_

 _Why is he here?_

 _He's shaking his head, tears are streaming down my face. The sword he holds is thin and wiry, not meant to do anything. I look in the direction of the emperor, who seems to grin maliciously. I'm too terrified to move, but I turn my attention back to him. He's shaking his head, the tears are apparent. My legs are ready to give out underneath me at the impossibility of him being here, him standing in the arena with me as my challenger. The crowd keeps cheering, waiting for me to make the one strike that would end his life. But I can't find it in myself to make it. Instead I shout throughout the arena, calling for silence._

 _"You dare give me an opponent not worth my time?! This is an outrage!"_

 _The crowd is all but silenced as the emperor stands from his seat and raises his hands. "It's a change of tides. I will accept the change, and let it stay. Continue the fight!" The crowd roars back to life, and I watch his petrified expression as he takes it all in. I frustratedly lunge at him, clanging my sword against his and holding the position so we can talk. He doesn't seem to realize that until I stay where I am. He gazes back at me terrified of what is happening._

 _"I'm not going to hurt you. Please look at me, love."_

 _His eyes find mine. They're bleary and exhausted and I only want to hold him close. I wonder if this is to be our fate forever. I can only hope for the better in the coming future._

 _"You need to defeat me." My own tears are beginning to fall, but I can't let the audience see. Not now. Not like this._

 _"I can't. I can't do that. You know I could never-"_

 _"They won't be satisfied until one of us is gone. If it's to be one of us, I want it to be me. I've lived long enough. I got to meet you. Please do this for me. I know you do a lot for me, but this will be the last thing. I promise. Do me the honor of dying by your hands."_

 _He shoves me away, breaking the contact of our swords. "I won't do that. How could you ask that of me?" He's on the verge of breaking, I can see it, so I take this into my own hands._

 _I throw down my sword and turn towards the emperor. "I yield!"_

 _"What are you doing?" He gazes at me with love and admiration and fear. Fear is more present in his eyes now._

 _"I give up this match!"_

 _The emperor stands up and controls the cheers of the crowd again. "I will not stand for this! You are not to yield! Now fight! If there is not fight, I will take matters into my own hands!"_

 _I stare back at my love and find fresh tears brimming in my eyes and his own. "I yield!" I know what'll happen, but I don't care. As long as he's safe._

 _And then the unthinkable happens. An arrow is shot and lands in his chest. I can only watch in horror as he crumples to ground, so fast it hurts. I throw myself at him, the sand rubbing unbearably against my bare knees. "No, no, no, no, no. No! Please. Please talk to me!"_

 _"I-I... lo-love..." His head goes limp my arms, and the arm he was reaching up towards me falls back onto his body._

 _I can hardly think, hardly breathe. The voices calling out around the stadium are pounding and swimming in my head. I can hardly feel what's happening until I feel arms pulling against me. Four of the guards that stood at one of the gates are now trying to restrain me, pulling me away from my love. I start swinging as I see two guards begin to drag his lifeless body away. I manage to hit one of the guards, giving myself leverage against them. I pull away and run for the sword, bracing it in front of my body. They've taken him from me, and I will make them pay. The guards draw their swords, and my dance with them begin. It isn't long before more join the battle, knocking more hits on me. The sharp point of one of their swords drags along my back, and I let myself fall. The tears are more apparent than they were, and I count on bated breaths as a guard lifts his sword and brings it down on me. The pain is excruciating, but now I know what he felt. I will see him soon again._

 _I haven't left him for long. I hope he won't be upset with me for too long._

 _I will get to see my love once more._

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

Viktor woke up with a start, head pulsing and heart racing. As sweat began on his forehead, he turned around, opened the top drawer in his desk, and pulled out a journal that held a pen along the side of it. Quickly, he flipped open to the page that held a a bookmark and began writing down notes. After a few minutes of writing, Viktor finally put down the pen and examined the notes he had written. He had been getting these pretty crazy dreams since a year ago. They've gotten worse in the past week, so Viktor had started taking notes of every dream. He had yet to tell Chris, but he didn't really want to. The dreams somehow felt too personal to share with him, so he kept them written down in a journal safe in his desk drawer. He sighed and closed the journal, setting it back in the drawer he had pulled it out of. Gently, he laid back down and closed his eyes, letting sleep take him once more. If there was one thing he appreciated about the dreams, it was that they only made an appearance once a night, which meant he could fall back asleep without a problem. And he did just that. Within a minute, he let the thoughts drift away along with his consciousness as he let sleep overtake him.


	4. Flipped Pages in the Story

"Phichit, I... I think there's something wrong." Yuuri fiddled with his hands in his lap. It was early in the morning, and due to another vivid dream, they were both up at the crack of dawn. He didn't want to talk about the dreams anymore, but he just wanted to understand them. He was tired of them and was losing a lot of sleep lately. Last night featured one he never wanted to experience again. Instead of trying to save his apparent lover or dying because of their love, he was carried into a coliseum to fight his lover only to end up dead because he refused to fight. It was beyond _awful_. Nothing was helping, and the dreams seemed like they were getting worse. When Phichit didn't say anything, Yuuri rose his worried eyes to his roommates, whose own looked... desperate.

"Why do you think something's wrong?"

Yuuri could tell that Phichit agreed with him, but he probably needed to hear from Yuuri himself. He was used to this from the other, but he knew he wouldn't voice his thoughts otherwise. "The dreams... they've never been so... real. I mean they have, but this is not the same. I don't know what's changed but something has." He twisted his fingers around more, the anxiety building up more and more. "I just want to be able to sleep, Phichit. I'm barely able to keep my eyes open in classes."

Phichit gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm positive they'll vanish soon, Yuuri. You've been having them for a while, so I can't imagine they'll last any longer. Let's stop talking about them, though. Today's the day of Viktor's match! We have to make sure we have everything set before you head out. It doesn't help that you have a class right before it along with the class in an hour. I guess I'll just look at everything while you're at classes. I'll take the day off to make sure everything is perfect!"

Yuuri smiled genuinely back and sighed, a little more relaxed now. "Thanks, Phichit. I can stay and help since this is for me after all. I don't mind missing two classes, plus I have friends in both that can lend me their notes and get the assignments for me."

"Hmm... I don't know, Yuuri. You should probably just go to your classes and relax a bit before the match. Feel free to wear Viktor's jacket around campus."

Yuuri shook his head and laughed at his roommate, who then joined in on the laughter himself. He stood up from the wooden chair stationed in front of his desk and moved around the room to get ready for his class for the day. As he was pulling a dark red shirt over his head, the _ping_ of Phichit's phone rang from the Thai's side of the room. He watched curiously as Phichit picked up the device and grinned almost darkly. After pulling on a pair of dark jeans, Yuuri started to question the sudden change in his friend due to a notification, but was interrupted by him anyway.

"Cancel that. You're staying here with me. Forget about classes for the day. We'll hang out, and then I'll send you off to the game!"

"Why do you sound like a soccer mom?" Yuuri rose an eyebrow at his friend and sat back down on the chair at his desk, having no reason to be up anymore. "Why the sudden change of plans, too?"

Phichit laughed and lifted an arm high into the air, cupping a hand around his mouth as he did so. "You can do it, Yuuri! I believe in you, darling!" This sent Yuuri into a laughing fit as he tried to tell Phichit to knock it off. "You have to promise me you do this for Viktor later!" Phichit tried to calm himself down, while Yuuri tried to as well.

"Absolutely not. He just let me start going. That would only get me a one-way ticket out of that. Today's project might not go over that well either. Their matches are always really silent, and the only ones who do what I'm going to do are part of his fanclub." Yuuri muttered the last part a little bitterly.

"Yuuri, let me tell you something. _You have his tennis jacket._ He _never_ lets anyone touch that jacket. _Never._ And he let _you_ have it. He wants _you_ to wear it at his matches." Phichit looked a lot more serious now. "If he cared about his fangirls the same way he clearly cares about you, then he would've let them fight over the jacket. Trust me on this one, but I'm pretty sure you could show up, cheer for the other team, and he still wouldn't mind."

"Okay, I'll believe you until he tells me how annoying I am." Yuuri grinned and stretched out his sleep-laced muscles.

"You won't ever hear that. If you do, Viktor is going to have to say goodbye to his pretty hair." This sent Yuuri into another giggling fit.

The duo set to work immediately, prepping everything for the tennis match later on in the day. Phichit excused himself from the room minutes before Yuuri's first class for the day ended, claiming to get a few more things while the other continued to work. Luckily for him, Yuuri thought nothing of it and let his friend do what he said he was going to do. Once he closed the door behind himself, Phichit sprinted to the classroom. He made it just in time to find Chris and Viktor walking away together. Changing his pace to one more casual, Phichit strolled up to them and tapped Chris's shoulder. As soon as Chris noticed who it was, he turned around, set one hand on his hip while the other gestured towards the Thai student.

"This is the meddler I was telling you about, Vitya." Viktor turned around as well and glanced at the other in confusion at first. Confusion quickly changed into understanding.

Phichit smiled and gave a fast wave. "Hi, Viktor! I'm Phichit, Yuuri's friend."

Viktor copied his movement and smiled in return. "Hi! Chris told me you two have a class together."

"So that's all he's said?" Phichit challenged the duo with a lifted eyebrow and smirk.

Chris caught the look and mirrored it while replying. "I may have mentioned a few other things, which reminds me of something. Why wasn't Yuuri in class today? He never skips. It's unlike him, as if _someone_ told him to do so."

"That's why I'm here." Phichit's smile turned towards, almost sad-like. Viktor looked at Chris curiously, who shrugged in response. They both refocused their attention on Phichit. "Do you have the notes from the class you just got out of? Yuuri was feeling sick, so I told him to get some rest. I promised to get him the notes, and then he told me to get them from you."

"He must be pretty sick so suddenly if he won't even come to class." Chris swung his backpack off his shoulder and rifled through it, looking for the notes Phichit mentioned. "I remember this one time where he was practically dying in class. He looked like a zombie but refused to leave the class for one second. It's odd that he chose to sit out now." He handed the notebook to Phichit, who nodded solemnly.

"Uh," Viktor gazed at Phichit worriedly at the mention of Yuuri being so sick, "Phichit, right? Is he okay? Please tell him I said to get better soon. It's a shame he feels so miserable today."

Phichit almost cracked when he saw Viktor's face. _Almost_. Not quite enough to break his acting now. He had to keep it up if the surprise was supposed to work. Chris gave Viktor an odd look, who only scrunched his eyebrows in confusion in return. He took the notebook from Chris with a gentle expression. "Yeah, I remember that. He said he had a test or something that week and couldn't miss any classes. Thanks, Chris! And don't worry too much, Viktor. He'll be up and running by tomorrow. I'm the best doctor around!" He dashed off without so much as batting an eye as he left the pair. Phichit waved the notebook as he ran off, yelling as he did so. "Thanks again, Chris!"

.

. . .

.

"You should've seen the look on Viktor's face!" Phichit was sitting on the floor opposite of Yuuri, laughing like no tomorrow. Yuuri was still trying to catch up on what had happened and piece together the story his friend shot at him so fast. "He looked _heartbroken_ , Yuuri. I crushed his dreams in a split second. You know those photos where people are like 'if you rewatch this moment, you can pinpoint the exact moment everything went wrong'? That's what it was like! I almost ruined the surprise just to tell him you were okay! Chris definitely knew I was lying. Do me a favor, and skip classes if you're really sick from now on."

Yuuri's jaw dropped along with the sharpie he was holding as he processed Phichit's words. "He was that upset?" Why did Viktor care if he was sick? Sure, Viktor had been nothing but kind to him since they've started talking, but it was still hard to believe that he cared about him with the image Yuuri had of the all star athlete. Unless it was all just a continuation of his act. Chris did say himself how good Viktor was when he needed to be. It's not like Viktor would drop the act in front of Phichit. He was, after all, Yuuri's best friend. Although Phichit _was_ usually good at picking out those who were just putting up a facade.

"Yeah, he was- Yuuri, you're spacing out again. You've been doing that every time I mention Viktor. Is something wrong? Did he actually say something to you, and you just haven't told me yet? If that's the case, then I wish I told him you were throwing up everywhere." The corner's of Phichit's lips lifted into a small smile out of the worried countenance he was just wearing.

Yuuri beamed back just the slightest before shaking his head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking."

"About? Yuuri, I can tell you were overthinking things again."

Yuuri picked up the sharpie from before and started writing again, this time slower. "I don't know..."

"About Viktor again? Yuuri, whatever you're concerned about, please don't. Today is supposed to be fun. That's why we're skipping classes. _Fun,_ not worry until you puke. That would make my story real but still. I want to see the look on Viktor's face when you show up with this. I can't believe I actually got you to agree with me on this, too. That's impressive on its own. Maybe you really are sick."

Yuuri shook his head and laughed. "Okay, okay. Fine. Let's just get this done before I change my mind."

"Alrighty!"

.

. . .

.

"That's fine. I'm fine. I'll just invite him to the next one. The tournament is coming up. He'll definitely be able to come to that. Right? Right." Viktor bobbed his head up and down as he parked his car, took the keys out of the ignition, and stepped out. Chris jumped out of the passenger seat of the car Yuuri couldn't stop mocking and joined Viktor from where he was taking his tennis bags out of the trunk. "He'll come right? He has to come to that game. If I win it, I can introduce him to a Russian celebration."

"So you'd take him out drinking?" Chris raised an eyebrow as he followed Viktor towards the campus tennis courts, where some of his teammates were already practicing. "I want a video if you do."

"Yes!" Viktor turned to him and smiled before frowning disapprovingly. "And no. If we do, the only one ever seeing that video would be me and me alone. I might have to show his friend, but that's it."

Chris playfully pouted and watched on as Viktor dropped his bags outside the courts and pulled out his tennis racquet. "No fun. I better be invited one of the times you go. We all could have a little fun~"

"Next time. I promise." Viktor grinned and stepped past the entrance of the courts, Chris hanging back along the fence with the other spectators.

Viktor took a long glance at the other people standing to watch, only to be disappointed with the realization that Yuuri wasn't coming. The girls who usually showed up to all his games waved and cheered when they thought he was looking at them. He pretended to smile as he waved in response, not entirely feeling up to favoring them currently. Georgi, who was walking up to him along with the rest of the team, noticed him constantly staring back at the crowd of people beginning to form and sighed in nostalgia.

"Love is tough." Georgi spoke as he walked past Viktor, the other members of the team glancing at him in bewilderment.

As the teams lined up, the individual players were announced one by one and shook each other's hands before shaking the hands of their coaches. It wasn't long before the matches started up, and Viktor was on the first court like his position inclined. So far, it had been a difficult match, since Viktor found it hard to focus. He wasn't losing, but the score would make it easy for his opponent to catch up if he slipped up more. About halfway through the match while Viktor was taking a water bottle, Yakov called him over. As the yelling began, Viktor found himself distracted by the crowd. There was a new poster added amongst the five others that were present, the owner sitting on the ground with it held in front of him. He wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for his native language having been written across it. Curiously, he squinted to get a better look at it when the person holding the poster lowered it to reveal who they were. Yakov persistently to yell at him when he noticed that Viktor was completely ignoring him, more so than usual. Excitedly, Viktor walked away from Yakov on the other side of the fence to rush towards the part of the fence in front of Yuuri. Yuuri pushed the sign in front of him up more to cover the bottom half of his face, the blush on his face apparent from where Viktor stood.

"Hi, Viktor." Yuuri moved to push the sign just a little bit further up his face, not yet covering his eyes when Viktor stayed silent. Said man gripped the fence with both hands, his water forgotten on the ground in front of him along with any thoughts he had before. "I-I wasn't s-sure about doing this, b-but Phichit said it w-would be a good idea..."

" _Wow._ "

The flush on Yuuri's face increased as he directed his attention to the ground, Viktor's reaction only embarrassing him more.

 _"_ How did you- _When_ did you- _Wow._ " Viktor shook his head, unable to fathom what was happening. "Yuuri Katsuki, you are... _wow._ If you keep doing this to me, I might have a heart attack." Viktor grinned childishly when Yuuri ducked his head underneath the poster. And then he noticed the sleeve that threatened to cover his hand. And then he turned just as red as Yuuri.

Yuuri glanced up at him to see him dumbfounded just like the time Yuuri wore his jacket to class. If he wasn't holding a poster wishing him luck in Russian, then he would've prided himself on doing that to the tennis player.

Viktor cursed internally as Yakov came storming up to them, yelling at him to get back on the court. He stumbled back to the court, unable to look away from Yuuri from very long. By the time he managed to get back on the court, he had to apologize to his opponent for taking so long. Hurriedly, Viktor rushed through his match, winning it in almost a record time just so he could talk to Yuuri faster. _Someone_ taught him how to write in Russian. It was clearly his own handwriting since some of the letters weren't as practiced, but he definitely had help from someone who knew the language.

When Viktor's match ended, he all but rushed out of the courts and towards Yuuri. Viktor didn't spare one moment to stop and talk about the poster. Instead, he ran at Yuuri and lifted him at the waist, spinning him around. Yuuri started giggling uncontrollably while pushing against Viktor, telling him to put him down between his little laughing fit. Viktor complied and set him down, the biggest smile spread across his face.

"I wasn't kidding about that heart attack. I might really get one because of you." Yuuri snickered and tugged at the sleeves of the jacket, a move Viktor couldn't help but adore. He still couldn't believe _Yuuri Katsuki_ was wearing his jacket while holding a poster made for him. How he had gotten this lucky was a complete mystery.

Yuuri smiled back, oddly relieved it seemed. "I really wasn't sure if it would be okay... I'm glad you like it, though!"

"Like it? No, no. I _love_ it, Yuuri. Who helped you? Unless you speak Russian, there is no way you know what it says."

Yuuri lifted the poster and turned it towards himself, squinting at the Cyrillic letters as if that would help him understand what it said. Viktor chuckled at the sight of it but let him speak.

"She's on the girls' tennis team, Mila Babicheva. It was my idea to ask her for help. I wasn't sure if I really should use it since it's your native language, and I know a lot of people don't think that so... I don't know. Phichit convinced me that it was a good idea and that I should go along with it."

"Good. Remind me to thank him later. This was a _very_ good idea. Now, it's my turn to surprise you."

Yuuri cocked his head to the side, unsure of what he meant, when suddenly Viktor tugged on his arm, pulling him in the opposite direction of the courts.

"Viktor, where are we going? Your bags and car are still here, and aren't your teammates still playing? We can't just leave-" Yuuri looked back at the courts and then at Viktor, who begrudgingly stopped walking and groaned in annoyance.

"Ugh. I _guess_ we can wait." He grumbled as he let go of the other's wrist and trudged back to the courts, where Chris was standing with his arms crossed in amusement. Yuuri laughed at his antics and followed him closely behind.

"Where did you think you were going?" Chris walked the rest of the way towards them, a suggestive eyebrow trained on them. "Celebrating a little early I see~"

"Just a little." Viktor grimaced as he stared at the courts. "I was going to have you deal with my things if I got far enough."

Both Chris and Yuuri laughed at the comment, although Yuuri did so more timidly. Viktor broke into a grin himself at the sound of Yuuri's laughter. As they continued to watch, they sat down to watch the rest of the matches going on. Viktor started to explain what was happening to Yuuri, who started giggling again. Curiously, Viktor glanced at him, unsure as to why he was laughing. Yuuri apologized between laughs and tried to stop himself, but Viktor's expression made him lose it again.

"What's so funny?"

"No, I'm sorry. Nothing! I promise!"

Viktor looked like he didn't believe Yuuri at all as the Japanese man continued to laugh. He then turned to Chris, who only shrugged in response. "I want to know now." He looked back at Yuuri, who had finally stopped laughing.

"Okay, well... Viktor, I know how to play tennis. I've been going to a clinic every summer since two years ago." Yuuri started giggling again when Viktor slowly understood what he was saying.

"Oh. Wait. But when you came on Saturday, I was explaining- Yuuri, you never told me you could play." Yuuri laughed harder when Viktor's eyes were blown wide. "How come you never told me this. I'm almost offended you kept that from me."

"I'm sorry, Viktor. I just didn't have the heart to stop you from explaining everything to me." Yuuri grinned wide in response.

"Now I'm curious. What else aren't you telling me, Yuuri Katsuki?" Viktor propped his arms back on the grass, facing Yuuri fuller now.

"Gee I wonder, Viktor Nikiforov." Yuuri mirrored his movements. "What else could I have to tell?"

"You tell me." Viktor leaned forward in challenge, not expecting Yuuri to do the same until he did.

"If you two are going to make-out, please tell me because I need a video of it." Chris smirked when Yuuri's cheeks burned almost as bright as Viktor's, the attention of both of them now on him. Almost immediately, Yuuri directed his attention away from both of them and back on the courts in front of them, cheeks inflamed heavily. Viktor turned towards him and watched the way Yuuri tried to distract himself by what was happening in the matches. He took note to add that to the list of things he found endearing about Yuuri Katsuki.

.

. . .

.

"And this is Chris and I's rooms." He opened the door to his dorm room, letting Yuuri enter before he did himself. He hung back at the door, observing the way Yuuri's eyes sparkled as he gazed around at the small space. "It's kind of messy. I was in a rush today and wasn't _exactly_ expecting company other than Chris." He brought a hand to the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, waiting for a reaction from Yuuri. Yuuri simply nodded and continued looking before walking towards Viktor's side of the room and lingering at the photos placed carefully on his desk.

"It's not even half as messy as mine." He laughed as he picked up one of the frames. Viktor walked hesitantly farther into the room, placing the poster Yuuri made against his closet to his left. "There are craft supplies everywhere now. Is this you?" Yuuri faced the frame towards Viktor so he could see which one he was asking about. Viktor bobbed his head yes. "Ah. I didn't know you skated. How old were you?"

"I was thirteen when that was taken. I don't really skate anymore, but I used to go with my mother every now and then back in St. Petersburg. It was something she enjoyed doing, so I always enjoyed going." Viktor sat down on his bed and watched Yuuri examine another photo. "That was from my first college tennis match. I played first singles back then, too." For some reason, Yuuri's face went red, and he quickly put the frame down, deciding to sit at the chair at the desk. "I know I'm boring." Viktor laughed at his own expense. "I don't have much in my room because I'm hardly here. I only come back in between classes and if I need to talk to Chris." _Which happens a lot more now that I've met you,_ he added in his mind. Yuuri's gaze flickered towards Chris's side of the room to notice many different photos and posters lining the wall, decorations that were indeed Chris-like.

"You're right. You _are_ very boring. I know so many people who are the most popular kids at their college as well as skating tennis captains who've been playing first singles for as long as they've been playing the sport." Yuuri laughed along with Viktor. "What else aren't _you_ telling _me?"_

Viktor grinned at Yuuri using his words against him. "I once did competitive snowboarding back in Russia before I left for college here."

"Competitive snowboarding? Isn't that extremely dangerous for a soon-to-be tennis all-star?" Yuuri leaned forward in the chair just barely.

"Soon-to-be? I already was one there." Proudly, Viktor stuck out his chest and put both hands on his hips, which made Yuuri laugh again lightly.

"I'm sorry. What was I thinking? It's a brilliant idea to take up extreme sports for fun while playing a less-dangerous one that requires all the bones in your body to work properly."

"I am Russian after all. It's normal to go above and beyond."

"I'm learning a lot about your culture. Tell me. Is owning an ostentatious car like the one you do a part of being a Russian, too?"

"Oh, _absolutely._ They tell us as kids to be as out there as possible. I'm simply doing what I have to do for my country."

Yuuri stared at him, trying to decide if he was serious for a moment. Once Viktor grinned at him, he doubled over with laughter, practically falling out of the chair he was in. Viktor soon joined in on the laughter, enjoying how light Yuuri could make everything seem. Another favorite part of Yuuri to add to the ever-growing list. Viktor realized just how long it was getting.

"Is the next question about my drinking habits? Because I do expect that sometime soon."

Yuuri wiped a tear away from his eye. "I was going to try to keep the stereotypes to a minimum."

"Might as well throw them all out into the open now." Viktor was still smiling as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Yuuri laughed once more before settling down for good. "That's all the questions I have for now."

All joking set aside, they decided to watch a movie together while sitting on the floor in front of Viktor's bed, the laptop sitting in the middle of them on their laps. Viktor let Yuuri have free reign over it, despite Yuuri arguing back that since he won his tennis match, he should be the one to pick. It wasn't long before the opening credits of a movie rolled by, one that Yuuri said was his favorite, and both were seated comfortably with pillows behind their backs and a blanket over their laps under the laptop. As they settled down, Yuuri explained bits and parts of it when Viktor asked, yawning between some of his sentences. Viktor smiled gently as Yuuri's head lolled against his and sucked in a breath when it finally rested there, him softly snoring against the Russian. He debated whether or not he should turn it off, but if somehow Yuuri woke up, he would probably ask how it was. Viktor lowered the volume to almost a hum and tried his best to focus on the movie. Unfortunately, or fortunately he couldn't decide, Yuuri began to mutter in his sleep. The fact that he was still wearing Viktor's jacket didn't help either. Viktor was going to turn the movie off and wake him up when Yuuri said something odd. Instead, he paused the movie, set it aside, and couldn't help but pay more attention to the man beside him.

"Mm... don't... I need..." Yuuri shifted, and Viktor noticed that his eyebrows were scrunched in pain as he shifted closer to Viktor.

It wasn't until Yuuri started thrashing more beside him that he decided to wake him up. Gently, he pushed on Yuuri's shoulder, hoping to stir him from the slumber he was in. It seemed to worsen whatever dream he was experiencing, his voice now carrying throughout the room as if he was talking normally. Viktor started shaking his shoulder a little more roughly, hoping to wake him up more than ever now. "Yuuri, wake up. Please wake up." It took another minute before Yuuri gasped and sat up straight, heaving to gain his breath back to a steady pace. He whipped his head around before his eyes settled on Viktor's own worried ones. "Yuuri, are you okay?"

The question seemed to shatter something in Yuuri, because he stood up from where he was sitting and wiped at his eyes quickly. "I-I'm sorry. I have to- I'm sorry."

"Wait, Yuuri!" Viktor tried to reach out to him, half-standing, but Yuuri ran past him and out the door in the blink of an eye.

.

. . .

.

Yuuri threw open the door to his dorm room, tears streaming down his face like they had before. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but he was so comfortable, and Viktor was just so nice to sit next to. The humiliation was searing through him uncontrollably, the tears showing no signs of ceasing anytime soon. Phichit was out of the room, so he was left alone to think and wallow in his utter stupidity. Falling asleep was the dumbest thing he could _ever_ have let happen. It was only a nap, so it shouldn't have been a problem, but it had been. And that didn't change anything. Viktor probably thought of him as a scared child now. Nothing more, nothing less. He had a dream with Viktor sitting only _centimeters_ away from him. Phichit had told him that he talked whenever he had one, sometimes screaming and sometimes only whispers. But his dream had been violent, which meant that he had to have been loud. It was _excruciating_ to know that that happened with _Viktor of all people_ in the room. It was _beyond_ embarrassing.

He flung himself onto his bed and let the tears fall, not even trying to stop them or the thoughts now wildly running in his mind. Face smushed into his pillow, he repeated the same words over and over to himself, cursing himself and the dreams that kept taunting him. How was he supposed to live a normal live if the dreams kept occurring. He didn't even realize someone was knocking on the door until his mind had cleared up a few minutes later. He lifted his head from the pillow and used the back of his hand to clear the streaks left behind on his cheeks. He slowly ascended from the bed, expecting it to be Phichit, until he heard a voice talk from the other side.

"Yuuri? Are you in there? I-I don't know what happened, but you ran off so fast. I didn't know what to do, so I texted Chris to ask Phichit where you would be. Um... I'm sorry if it was something I did. I just... I just didn't know what to do... I'm really sorry, Yuuri. I should've just let you wake up on your own. If you're in there, please say something. I'll even take another joke about my car."

Yuuri sniffled and giggled a little, still wiping at the falling tears. He wasn't expecting Viktor to show up at his door asking for him.

"I get it if you don't want to talk to me. I can wait. I may be Russian, but I _can_ be patient. Alright, I'm going to leave you alone if you're there. Please understand that whatever it was, I am so sorry."

Yuuri laughed once more lightly, the tears no longer falling as hard as before. "You're ridiculous." He thought Viktor had walked away, but he spoke up again from the other side of the door.

"Yuuri? Are you there?"

Yuuri walked closer to the door, hugging his arms around his body as he stood a foot away from the wood that separated them. "Depends on who's asking." He sniffled and giggled once.

"A very worried friend of Yuuri's, Viktor Nikiforov." He could hear the relief in Viktor's voice and smiled to himself.

"That's a relief. I thought it was Viktor Nikiforov, the Russian all-star tennis player and most popular bachelor on campus." Yuuri shuffled forward and leaned his forehead against the door.

"Well, that would be just as ridiculous as me owning a bright pink Cadillac." Viktor's voice seemed to be closer than it was before, almost a whisper against the wood. They didn't say anything for a moment. They just stood on their sides and listened to the other breathing. "I'm really sorry, Yuuri."

Yuuri shook his head, his raven hair becoming an even more tousled mess than it was. "You don't have to be. I'm sorry for being so rude. You were just trying to be nice, and I..." He lost himself in thought, unsure of how to finish his sentence. Viktor interrupted before he could even try to fit something at the end.

"You did nothing wrong. I acted before I even thought about what I was doing. You seemed like you were in pain, and I didn't like it."

"Thank you, Viktor." A single tear tracked down his cheek as he held his head against the door. "Thank you so much. You really didn't have to come all the way to my room to apologize."

"Texting is a bit impersonal... plus I don't exactly have your number." He laughed from behind the door. "I seem to have forgotten my own number, too. Maybe I can have yours instead?"

Yuuri froze and removed his head from the wood, rose red dusting his cheeks as he kept opening his mouth to give a response. The words he spoke came out as a squeak. "Did you just use a really bad pickup line on me?"

" _Oh god,_ I'm _terrible._ This was _not_ the time for that, but uhh... if it worked, then yes?"

Then Yuuri started laughing. It seemed like that's all he was doing all day. Viktor just made him so happy, and he couldn't control the bubble of laughter that was constantly in him whenever they talked. It was low first, like he was laughing to himself, and then as he continued to think about what Viktor had just said, it grew louder and louder. He sighed contently and leaned his back against the door. "You really _are_ ridiculous." Feeling a surge of confidence, Yuuri turned around and opened the door to find Viktor looking almost as bad as he did himself. It was a bit surprising, if he was to be honest.

He watched as Viktor took in a deep breath and slowly let go of it. "Hi."

"Hi." Yuuri smiled in reassurance, for both himself and apparently Viktor. If Viktor noticed his obviously reddened eyes, then he chose to not say anything about them at all.

"I really am-"

"Stop. Please, Viktor. You may have to get a number from someone else if all you keep doing is texting me to say you're sorry." Yuuri grinned and held up his phone.

Viktor beamed back brightly at him. "If I promise to text you every morning, will that get me your number?" He leaned on the tip of his toes, on edge and waiting for his answer.

Yuuri nodded his head and opened his phone to the contacts page and clicked add a new contact, thrusting the phone into Viktor's hands and looking around the hallway. Viktor just watched him and held the phone before quickly typing in the number along with his name. When Yuuri looked back at him, he was holding the phone back for him to take.

"Just don't forget to text me, so I get your number as well."

Yuuri stared down at the new contact in his phone with crimson cheeks, and then he faced Viktor with a smile bright enough to challenge his. "I guess you didn't need mine after all."

"Huh?" Viktor looked between Yuuri and the phone in confusion.

"It looks like you remembered yours."

Viktor broke into heavy laughter before smirking and resting a hand on his hip. "Well, there goes that attempt at a pickup line. I guess I'll have to find even cheesier ones."

"It'll be hard to top that one."

"Oh, just you wait, Yuuri Katsuki."

"The more you bring them up, the harder it becomes to wait."

Viktor grinned and Yuuri did the same, the both of them just standing in the hallway staring at each other. After a moment, Viktor was the first to snap out of it and pointed in the direction of the entrance to the dorms. "I should probably go."

"Mm." Yuuri nodded but didn't stop the eye contact.

"Okay." Viktor slowly started moving down the hallway, not really paying attention to anything else around him.

"Okay."

"Great." The Russian gave him a thumbs up and almost bumped into the wall.

Yuuri laughed but quickly covered his mouth with his hand. "Great."

"Bye, Yuuri!" Viktor broke the contact and sprinted the rest of the way out, glancing back a few times as he did so.

"Bye, Viktor!" Yuuri waved as Viktor made it past the corner at the end of the hallway.

Yuuri stood at the entrance of his dorm room, forgetting how to breathe temporarily because of what had just transpired. When he finally managed to process what had happened, he rushed back into his room and sat down in front of the door, his phone still open to the new contact on the list. He actually had _Viktor Nikiforov's_ phone number. His _real_ phone number. He gripped the phone tightly and clicked on the new message button. He found himself staring at the empty text box, not really sure what his first text should say. He typed a few words before deleting them immediately and did it a few more times before settling on a simple "Hey this is Yuuri :)". Before he could think too hard about what he was going to do, he sent the message and waited on bated breaths for a reply. It came a few moments later.

 **Do you have a Band-Aid?**

Yuuri studied the text for a moment to try and decipher his words before responding with an easy no. The answer came as fast as the text box appeared.

 **Because I just scraped my knee falling for you ;)**

 **Told you I could be cheesier!**

Yuuri laughed to himself before sending a reply of his own.

 **Did you fall on your way back to your room?**

 **Because you weren't paying attention to where you were walking when you were leaving**

Yuuri smiled and held his phone to his chest, thanking whatever it was in the universe that let him have this moment.


	5. Not A Date

"And then Chris was trying to get me to- Yuuri, you're not listening." Phichit stared at his roommate, who was busy texting away on his phone at his desk. He crossed his arms along his chest as he only got a hum in response from the other. This had been happening all morning. No matter what he did, Yuuri had a hard time looking away from his phone. Whatever he was doing seemed to entertain him more than Phichit was. "Yuuri?"

Said male seemed to be suppressing a laugh as a bright grin formed on his lips. As if finally registering Phichit's words, Yuuri turned towards Phichit at his desk, the smile changing to one of confusion. "Sorry, what'd you say?"

Phichit groaned and threw his head back on the wooden chair. "I'm not telling the story again." He lifted his head and set his piercing brown eyes on Yuuri's own. "What are you even doing? This is the most I've ever seen you use your phone." It was almost amusing how red Yuuri turned at the mention of whatever he was doing. It sparked a thought, which made him question how he didn't think of it before. Of course he was embarrassed about being called out on that. It made sense now. He grinned with the realization and sat up straight, leaning forward at his own desk and whipping his head around to face Yuuri. "It's him, isn't it?" When Yuuri flushed red, he knew he was right. "Yuuri, how come you didn't tell me you got Viktor's phone number?" Phichit was beyond excited now.

"I-I guess I forgot to tell you. It happened so suddenly that I..." Yuuri's phone went off again, drawing his attention away from the conversation immediately. To Phichit's amusement, he began laughing and when he noticed Phichit staring, he dropped his phone into his lap. "...was taken by surprise..."

Phichit laughed loudly at his reaction, while Yuuri's face seemed to burn brighter. "Go talk to your boyfriend. I don't care that you're ditching me for him as long as you tell me all about it when you come back."

"He's at tennis practice, Phichit." Yuuri's cheeks lost a bit of the pink coloring as he rolled his eyes. "I can't just interrupt his practice."

Phichit eyed his friend to see if he was really serious. "You've been texting him all morning, yet he's at tennis practice? Yuuri, you're going to have to come up with a better lie. I know you're embarrassed about dating him, but try a bit harder." He grinned as Yuuri groaned and threw his head back against the wood back of the chair.

"We're not dating, and he's really at tennis practice. He sent me a photo of him playing. Well, technically that was because of Georgi, but Viktor told him to." He lolled his head back up straight as he scrolled through his phone. Phichit could tell that he was probably staring at the photo. He was still in denial?

"If you aren't dating, then how come you didn't call me out when I called him your boyfriend."

Yuuri huffed in embarrassment. "You know it isn't true." The tone of his voice almost suggested that he was disappointed, which Phichit guessed he was. That didn't make sense to him either because how could he possibly be upset about what they have? Phichit was surprised Viktor hadn't proposed to him yet.

"You don't sound convinced." He was pushing through territory he knew Yuuri wasn't comfortable in, but he didn't understand how his roommate didn't see it. They've only known each other for a week, and somehow they were inseparable. He would be jealous if he wasn't on the verge of creating a photo album commemorating their start as a couple. Or about to make a post on the school's website. Or debating about creating an Instagram specifically about them. Yeah, he wasn't jealous, but he sure as hell wasn't giving Yuuri up so easily.

"How can I be convinced about something that isn't true, Phichit?" He watched on as Yuuri fiddled with his phone. It lit up, but his roommate turned it upside down on his desk.

"Yuuri, let me be frank with you. If Viktor didn't like you, then why did he give you his jacket?"

"I don't know. Maybe he-"

"I'm not done." Phichit lifted a finger to silence Yuuri. "Why did he take you out for lunch before? Why did he let you hangout in his dorm room alone with him?"

"I don't know!" With an exasperated sigh, Yuuri set his head down next to his phone.

Phichit winced at the sound of Yuuri's voice, settling on a quieter tone himself. "Yuuri, I think Viktor likes you more than you think. It's not just me who's noticed, too. Chris has to deal with a pining Viktor every other night just because you didn't talk to him long enough. Honestly, from what Chris has been texting me about, I'm grateful I get to be on your end of this rather than Viktor's." That elicited a tiny giggle from Yuuri.

"Thanks, Phichit. I just... I don't know."

"What don't you know?" Phichit leaned forward against the back of the chair, both arms draped over it.

"I don't know." Yuuri ran a hand through his hand as he glanced at his flashing phone. "Everything, I guess. I don't know what I feel about... everything!" He was turned, so he was face-first down on the desk.

"That's fine! That's fine, Yuuri. Don't stress yourself out. No one is asking you to figure everything out now. I just wanted to know. I can never tell what you're thinking. You seem to be having fun, though."

Yuuri picked up his head somewhat and sent a look over his shoulder to his friend. "It's fun... hanging out with Viktor. That I do know."

"Good." Phichit nodded in approval and set himself back in front of the paper he was originally writing. "That's good. Now if only Viktor could just ask you out already. I have a post saved in my drafts on the website, and I'm dying to send it out already!" He laughed again as Yuuri threw his head back down on his own desk.

.

. . .

.

"Vitya, if you don't put your phone down, I'm going to break it!"

Viktor threw his head back in laughter, sending one more text to his new... friend? Was that what they were? That didn't sound right, but any title he tried to put on them didn't fit right. Yuuri was... caring, kind, funny, charming, the way he giggled was adorable, the way he threw his head back laughing was mesmerizing, and... perfect. Beyond perfect. He finally got his number, and that was great. Although he wasn't fond on the moments before he got it. He did something to upset Yuuri, which was confusing because he didn't do anything to upset him. Except... Yuuri wasn't happy about the dream. Well, nightmare it seemed. He thought he was helping Yuuri, but maybe he pushed boundaries that he shouldn't have. Which was disappointing because everything was going great beforehand. The movie, Yuuri falling asleep on him... It felt like a dream.

He was dragged from his thoughts as his phone was ripped out of his hands. It was only then that he realized that Yakov had walked over from the other side of the courts to stand in front of him, now pocketing the phone. Viktor was left dazed as he glanced between his hands where the phone had been to Yakov's retreating figure. "Wait, Yakov!" Viktor chased after him, practically hanging off his arm. "You can't take my phone away!"

"Too late, Vitya. I warned you. You're distracting the others. Now get back to practice! You'll get it back at the end."

Viktor was left pouting as Yakov walked away from him, trudging back to where he left his tennis racquet. Georgi, who was currently taking a break with a water bottle in hand, sighed dramatically. "Ah, how young love is divided. Fight for your love, Viktor." He looked wistful as he looked at the tennis courts, where their teammates were hitting back and forth. "If only that worked when I was with Anya."

"Thanks, Georgi, but he took my phone away." He pouted again as he picked up his racquet.

"Did he just adore the photo, though?"

"I think he liked it. He made a joke about how I was busy with the photo shoot than the actual practice." He grinned as he remembered the text message that he received moments ago. He wanted to message Yuuri again, but Yakov was against that. Not that Yuuri had responded to him yet. He wanted to see what he was going to say to his newest pick-up line. It was one that needed a photo in response, and he absolutely needed a photo of Yuuri to start his collection.

"You two make such a lovely couple... just like Anya and I did. If only she could've seen what she's missing now."

"She definitely made a mistake." He wasn't very close to Georgi, but it was enjoyable to listen to his agony over a girl he dated named Anya. Their relationship didn't last long, since she thought he was being too clingy. Anyone who was anyone knew the story, especially if you ever talked to Georgi. He always mentioned her in every conversation no matter what. Viktor had learned to pitch in whenever he needed to, sometimes feeling sorry for him.

The rest of practice seemed to drone on and on and on. The loss of Viktor's communication to Yuuri was driving him insane. Yuuri was probably wondering where he went. Then again he did tell him he was at practice. He resigned himself to tell Yuuri later on when they'd talk again. Maybe he could invite him back to his room again. It didn't go well the last time, so maybe this could make up for it.

When it finally ended, Yakov grumbled as he handed Viktor his phone back, who threw his arms around the older man. Viktor couldn't care less as he let go and thumbed through his notifications. The smile he wore a mere second ago deepened into one of disappointment as he walked away from his coach. There hadn't been one message from Yuuri in the hour he had been away from his phone. He was stuck between sending a text and seeming desperate or letting Yuuri be the first to respond and wait very impatiently while whining to Chris. The last time he waited for Yuuri, Chris was ready to kick him out of the room.

Viktor sent him a quick text, asking if his newest pick-up line had killed him. He tapped the back of his phone restlessly as he waited for a reply. Groaning, Viktor shoved the phone in his pocket and jogged to where his belongings were. It was a bad idea to walk to practice instead of his car because now all he wanted was a coffee to drown what felt like suffering to himself. The anticipation was killing him. The vibration of his phone dragged him out of his thoughts, sending him to dig into his pocket for the device as fast as possible. Excitedly, he whipped out his phone and dragged a finger across the screen to unlock it, now staring at the message with confusion. All Yuuri had answered with was "turn around." Viktor flicked his gaze up from the device and scanned the areas around the courts until he found the source of the text message. He stumbled to pick up his bags and rushed to the entrance of the courts, ignoring the odd stares his teammates gave him as he ran by.

He could tell Yuuri was laughing at him, but he couldn't find it in himself to care or make a joke because Yuuri was here.

Breathlessly, Viktor spoke as he adjusted the bags on his shoulders. "Hi."

Yuuri gave one last light giggle before wrapping his arms around himself to probably keep out the cold. "Hi, Viktor." How come every time he said his name it was more attractive than the last?

"Hi, Yuuri."

"You've said that already." Another - adorable Viktor added in his mind - giggle sounded from Yuuri.

"I know. I just wanted to say your name." Viktor grinned as Yuuri blushed. Or was his cheeks that color from the cold? He wanted to hope it was from what he said.

"U-Um... Viktor?"

He had to keep himself breathing. It was becoming a challenge with Yuuri this close. "Yes?"

"Do you need help with your bags?" Yuuri pointed at the bags apparently slipping from off his shoulder.

"Huh?" Viktor looked down at the bags that were touching the ground in a slump around his wrists then back up at Yuuri. "Oh. Uh, no?" He quickly fixed them up on his shoulders again, which made Yuuri laugh. There had to be no better sound.

"Here, let me help." Yuuri reached for the bag at Viktor's left wrist and swung it over his right shoulder. Viktor was too dazed to form coherent sentences because Yuuri Katsuki came to see him after his practice. Maybe Georgi did hit him too hard with the tennis ball...

"I feel bad for making you carry my bags when you came all the way to see me." Viktor put a childish pout on his lips.

"Ah, but you didn't make me. I offered, so you don't have to feel bad."

It was official. Yuuri Katsuki was an angel. If that wasn't confirmation enough, then his smile was more proof.

"Thank you, Yuuri!" Viktor chirped as he grinned and lead the way to his dorm room. "How'd you know when practice would be over?"

"Phichit texted Chris and asked when you usual get out. I wasn't sure if you would like it, but Phichit said I should just go."

He had to thank Yuuri's friend now. It was reassuring that Phichit liked him at least. That was good. "I'm glad you listened to your friend. Oh! Chris might be in my room. I don't think he has a class today. Is that alright?"

"That's fine!"

He glanced at Yuuri who looked sort of relieved compared to his own annoyance. He could text Chris to leave if he wanted to, but Yuuri didn't seem like he minded. He guessed that for today it was okay.

They arrived to his room within a few minutes, dropping Viktor's bags off to the side at the entrance. Chris greeted them from his desk when they entered, eyeing Yuuri before sneaking a look at all-too-happy Viktor. With a chuckle, he closed the book he was reading from and set aside the round frames he was wearing.

Surprisingly, the night didn't go at all like he thought it would. Since Chris made no plans of leaving, Yuuri had thought of calling Phichit over, so they could all hang out. Viktor didn't object at all, claiming it was a brilliant idea and oh he had a few other friends he wanted to invite. Viktor was more than happy to introduce Yuuri to every one of his closest friends, such as Mila, her friend Sara, and Georgi. Phichit even invited Seung-gil, Yuuri and his neighbor. The room became crowded as the night went on, playing different kinds of games and starting up all kinds of different conversations. Viktor found himself enjoying it more than he originally thought he would. That was mostly due to the fact that even though the room was more crowded than he would've liked, he was still able to stay by Yuuri. Phichit and Chris helped make sure of that thankfully. Time slipped by quickly and soon everyone was on their way out.

Viktor stretched out his limbs and grabbed clothes to change into as well as a towel before heading out to shower, leaving Chris alone in the room to pick up what remained of the gathering. He returned to the room almost half an hour later with one end of the towel on his hair and the other dangling from his shoulder. What he saw upon his return made him freeze in the doorframe, surprise turned quickly to hurt which became anger.

"Chris, what are you doing?" Viktor dropped the towel from his hair to hang over his other shoulder, crossing his arms over his chest. Chris was sitting on his own bed while reading from a very familiar book.

"I don't know. I thought I was reading 'The Guide on How To Seduce Yuuri Katsuki', but it turned out to be like one of those conspiracy theory boards condensed into a book. Vitya, what is this?" Chris closed the journal and held it out before him, a look of confusion settled on his features.

Viktor stalked to the other side of the room, running on his anger as he yanked the journal out of Chris's hand. "Do not touch this ever again. Got it?" He flicked through the journal quickly to make sure nothing was touched in it before setting it back in the drawer where it originally sat.

"Are you going to explain to me what it was that I read?"

Viktor shut the drawer harder than he intended at the notion of sharing what he knew of the dreams he had every night. He tiredly ran a hand through his platinum locks, tugging at the strands in frustration. "I guess I have to let you in on it now." With a thump, he threw himself onto his own bed directly across from Chris's. "First, how'd you find out about that journal?"

"Vitya, I'm not dumb. You woke me up in the middle of the night not just once. I decided to watch what you were doing up one night and saw you put the book in your desk." Chris leaned forward and studied Viktor's mortified expression.

"So your first thought was to go looking for it even though I would've told you about it if I wanted you to know? I'm mad if you couldn't tell, Chris."

"I figured that out fast, Vitya. Care to share who the mysterious man is that you keep watching as he dies in your dreams?"

Viktor tugged at the strands in his hair harder before releasing them and trying to calm himself down. Maybe talking about them would inevitably help. "For the most part I don't know. You have to promise me you won't tell anyone about this."

"I promise." Chris smiled and leaned back against the wall. "You have my word."

"Okay, good." He nodded, took a deep breath, and began to tell Chris everything. Everything he knew or discovered about the dreams was spilled for Chris to hear. The other stayed quiet while he explained some of the most vivid dreams and snippets of what he knew of the least clear ones. They sat in silence as Chris tried to process all the information that was thrown at him.

"So you mean to tell me you're having dreams of what you think to be memories?"

"Yes."

"You're also telling me that these dreams only started getting worse in the past week?"

"Correct again."

"Have you ever seen what the other person looks like in your dreams?"

"Nope, but I might have an idea." Chris gave him an odd look that encouraged him to continue. "So you know how Yuuri and I were hanging out in here a few days ago?" A nod from Chris. "Well, he fell asleep on me, and it was so adorable. You should've seen how peaceful he looked as he-"

"Vitya, how does this tie to the dreams?"

"Oh right! Okay, so while he was asleep, he started to talk in his sleep. At first, it was cute, but then he started to get louder, and it looked like he was in pain. When I woke him up, he ran out of the room and couldn't stop apologizing. I think he had one of the dreams that I've been having." He let the words hang in the air, waiting for Chris's reaction.

"Oh."

"Mhmm."

"Have you asked him about it?"

"Well..." Viktor leaned back on the palms of his hands on his bed. "Not really. I haven't had the time to, though! Either I was busy or something came up!"

Chris nodded and sighed. "You should ask."

Viktor bit into his lip. "But what do I do if he says yes? I don't want to ruin what we have, even if it is just friendship."

"Then wait and see what happens or just ignore the dreams."

Viktor nodded and sat up straight. "Yeah, you're right. Maybe if I just ignore them, everything will be okay. Thanks, Chris." He glanced at his desk where the journal sat, and thought through Chris's idea again. "I'll just ignore them."

.

. . .

.

 _"I... I can get help! I'll go ask the town medics!"_

 _He flits around the small space surrounding the cot I'm lying in and then back to me, gripping my hand with a fervor that I can only try to do. I've caught it. I've caught the very disease that has taken over the town we live in. They call it the Black Death around here. He hasn't caught it, but I'm very afraid he will. He spends too much time near me. They say it's very contagious, and can spread easily from person to person. Those are only whispers, though. I don't want to find out how true they are._

 _"No, please..." I let out a string of coughs, which has him pressing the hand that isn't holding mine against my forehead. "It's selfish of me, but please just stay. I want you here." I don't want to say the words aloud, but I'm scared that I'll pass without seeing him last. I shouldn't think of that, but I can't help it._

 _"Your fever hasn't dulled at all." A frown is settled on his face. I haven't seen him smile in awhile, not since the time we walked around the town together. Everything was fine then. How had everything gone to ruin so quickly? "Let me change out your cloth." He takes the cloth from off my head, gives my hand one last squeeze, and runs off to wring out the cloth and fetch a new one. We can't afford the remedy the town medic has been passing around to the wealthy. No one can, but he still tries and tries and tries. Everyday he comes back to me more exhausted than the day before and then takes care of me the best he can. I try to take the strain off of him, but he has forbade me from leaving the cot. Seconds since he left he's back again with a new cloth settling on my forehead._

 _"Please, love. Stop fretting." I try my best to smile at him, but I can tell he sees through it. He's always been able to read right through me. I shouldn't have bothered._

 _"How can I not when I know there is a way to stop you from..." He chokes on the words we both know he was going to. "I love you so very much." He holds my right hand in between both of his. His grip loosens a little, and I can feel one of his hands graze my cheek lightly. "You're crying..." His voice cracks, and I can just barely see tears of his own falling._

 _"I love you, too. Always." I weakly tighten the grip on his hand, and smile as best as I can when he does the same back. "Never forget it."_

 _He laughs humorlessly and presses his forehead against the cool cloth on my forehead. I hold back the coughs that are threatening to ruin such a nice moment. Any of these could be my last. I want to savor them best I can. "I would never forget that." Despite my reluctance, he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. I know I shouldn't, but I return the kiss until he pulls away, his forehead against the cloth on mine again. "Never. Now, sleep."_

 _i groan in response and tilt my head to the side. "I don't want to. That's all I ever do."_

 _"And I'm hoping it'll help you feel better. Now rest. When you feel better-"_

 _"If I feel be-"_

 _"When you feel better, then we can do whatever you want. That, I promise. In the meantime," he leans forward, moves the cloth off my forehead for a moment, and kisses it through the simmering heat that I can't help but feel, "I need you to rest." He rests the cloth against my forehead again and moves away from me. I already miss his warmth. "I'll wake you up when I make something for you to eat."_

 _"Mm..." I feel myself doze off quickly as I watch him leave my side._

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

Yuuri groaned at the sound of his phone going off behind him on his desk. He grumbled as he reached behind himself to pick his phone up off his desk. The time on the device didn't make him any happier to be up. 5:13 a.m. What notification was he getting at this time? There was at least two hours before the alarm he set last night was supposed to go off, so that added to the annoyance. Yuuri's question was answered when he typed in his password and unlocked his phone. Of course Viktor would message him. Blinking back the bleariness that sleep held him in, he squinted at the screen to read the message clearer.

 **Ur the reason they say mornings are good :)**

Yuuri bit back a laugh and put his phone on silent since Phichit was still sound asleep on his side of the room. A reply was sent with a bit of a struggle, but he couldn't find it in himself to check for any errors. Apparently there must have been quite a lot because Viktor sent him a text a moment later asking if Phichit was trying to take his phone away. A small laugh escaped passed his lips as he squinted at the screen again, fully reading his message. Waking up this early may not have been a bad thing after all. After all, another dream had plagued his night last night just like every other one in the past week. He had begun to accept that they would make a daily appearance from now on, although he couldn't figure out. What he was grateful for though was how passive his newest dream had been. Sure, it was still bad, but in comparison to the others, it definitely could've been a lot worse.

He sat up in his bed and yawned, reaching for his glasses to clear the haze that still held him. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Yuuri stretched out his limbs and returned back to his phone when it lit up once more. The message this time was invitation. An invitation to a private practice. With just Viktor. He bit down on his lip as he contemplated the idea of accepting the invitation. Making Phichit decide everything for him was almost childish, plus his roommate was currently asleep. With a surge of confidence, he texted Viktor a positive response and began to get ready for his, as Phichit would call it, "not date." It didn't take long before he was dressed in the appropriate sports clothes and out the door of his dorm room.

By the time he arrived, the cold weather had seeped through the Mizuno track jacket he wore as his footsteps crunched through light snow that covered the quad and the area around the tennis courts. As he approached them, he could easily see the one figure moving alone. The closer he got, the easier he could tell that Viktor was just serving the ball over to the other side. Yuuri entered the courts and watched in amazement at the speed and accuracy he played with. He didn't realize how mesmerized he had become until Viktor spoke up, grabbing his attention away from the stupor he was left in.

"You actually showed up!" Viktor rushed up to him, excitement obvious in his eyes.

"I did tell you I would come." Yuuri smiled a bit in response.

"I know, but I was still wondering. I can lend you one of my racquets. I have four others." Proudly, he beamed and lead Yuuri over to wear his tennis racquets were placed by a metal bench sitting in between the first court and the second. "You can pick whichever one you want!"

Yuuri eyed the bag for a moment before giving Viktor a hesitant look. "Are you sure? I haven't played for a few months..."

"I don't mind at all!"

Viktor's smile gave him a little boost of self-assurance. He gazed down at the bag and gently took the racquet closest to the side of the bag facing it. It was a black racquet with silver and white lines gracing the sides of it and black strings to match. As he held it in his hands, he could remember watching Viktor play with that racquet in the very first match he had come to watch. Yuuri had just started to get interested in the sport and had dragged Phichit to a college match just to watch the sport in real life. That match had been Viktor's first major competition, and watching him had inspired Yuuri to play the sport more. He must've been admiring the racquet for too long because he could feel Viktor's gaze zoned in on him.

"I'll uh... I'll use this one."

"Perfect! Let's get started then! I promise I'll go easy on you." Viktor sent a wink in his direction and jogged to the opposite side of the court, setting himself into a crouch with the racquet held in front. The racquet Viktor held was a light pink fading into a darker pink with a black grip and white lines painted on either side. The strings were vibrant gold that glistened as they caught the light from the sun.

Yuuri nodded and grabbed a tennis ball from along the fence, striding into place on his own side of the court. Viktor seemed to crouch lower, readying himself for the disaster of a serve Yuuri knew he was going to send over the net. Surprising not only himself but Viktor as well, the ball went exactly where it was supposed to. Viktor hit it back at speed that he could get it at, while Yuuri hit it just a bit harder than the last. Viktor seemed to smirk from where he was running before joining Yuuri in changing the pace. This went on for a while, neither one backing down from the challenge of gaining a point above their opponent. The game was stopped finally when one of Viktor's teammates showed up to the courts and asked who Yuuri was. Yuuri stood awkwardly with the racquet still in hand, unsure of what was going on as Viktor's friend joined Viktor on his side and began to talk. It was after a few more minutes that Viktor had ran around the net to get to Yuuri with a disappointed smile.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it had become. I was hoping if we started early enough we could get more time, but I keep forgetting that I'm the only one who shows up late to practice." He chuckled and walked over to where his bags were placed before settling his racquet next to his others in the bag. Yuuri followed his lead and reluctantly placed the racquet Viktor had lent him in the bag next to the one Viktor had just put away.

"Somehow I'm not surprised that you always show up late." Yuuri laughed as Viktor crossed his arms and pouted.

"You like wounding me, Yuuri. I'm offended you think that way of me."

"But you just confirmed it."

"I... Alright, you win." Yuuri smiled triumphantly as Viktor's face settled into one of his own.

They talked for a few more minutes before Yuuri had to leave to give way to the other tennis players, so they could get some practice in. Since Viktor had asked him to stay and watch, he did just that as he was now standing outside the courts along the fence. As Yuuri watched the practice pick up and everyone began to play each other, he found himself enjoying the feeling of just watching Viktor do what he loved most. It was relaxing in its own way. He wondered if he would ever get the chance to do this again, or if Viktor would ever keep him around long enough to do this again. He hoped so. Without realizing it for himself just yet, Viktor had become so much for him all at once and yet growing every moment longer they spent together. Viktor was more than just a friend, but no label seemed good enough to put on him. For now, he found that what they had was comfortable. Blissful.


	6. Running Away

"You sit here, while I go get our order." Before the other could disagree, Viktor jogged off to the counter where their drinks and food were sitting. Despite his persistent whining about how sick Yuuri could get if he stood around watching his practice, Yuuri stayed anyway. He could tell Yakov was eyeing him the entire time and was ready to move quickly if Yakov decided to tell Yuuri to leave. As soon as the practice had ended, Viktor drove them both to the café they hung out at the last time, offering to pay for everything since Viktor called him out so early in the morning.

He grabbed the tray that held their order and found Yuuri sitting at a table in the corner scrolling through his phone. He placed the tray in the center of the table and sat down across from Yuuri, leaning forward on the table. "Have I seen you before?"

Yuuri's attention was shifted from the phone in his hand to Viktor, a playful smile matching Viktor's own danced across his lips. "I don't know. Have you?"

Viktor's grinned widened as he pretended to think for a moment before gasping in obviously fake surprise. "I have! But unfortunately we've only ever met in my dreams." He watched as a few different emotions flicked across Yuuri's face, some of which were unrecognizable to him.

Yuuri seemed like he was forcing the laugh that he let go, grabbing the bagel he ordered along with his hot chocolate. "Your lines have only been getting worse." He seemed to plaster a smile on that quite reach his eyes.

"I'm sorry. That one sounded better in my head." He would be lying if he said he wasn't trying to get a reaction out of Yuuri. After his discussion with Chris last night, Viktor decided to try breaching the topic of his odd dreams with Yuuri even though it was the opposite of what Chris said to do. If he was right, and usually he was, and Yuuri was somehow involved, then they could figure out why they were having them together. Only... things weren't going as planned and maybe he really should've listened. Although the reaction his pick-up line received was interesting, but Yuuri could've reacted like that for many different reasons. Maybe.

"I bet it did." After the words left Yuuri's mouth, Yuuri ripped off a part from his bagel, Viktor reached for his blueberry muffin and iced coffee. Yuuri's laugh broke him from the reverie he was stuck in.

"What's so funny?" Viktor's perplexion by the Japanese male in front of him was only made worse when another laugh, louder in volume this time, rang in the air.

"Nothing. It's not even that funny. I'm sorry." His face seemed to say otherwise as he tried his hardest not to laugh as much as he very clearly wanted to.

"No no no. I want to know now. Whatever it is, it seems to be _hilarious._ You've already made fun of my car, so I can't imagine what's left." Humor played in Viktor's voice and words as he plopped the muffin back onto the table and resided himself to fiddling with the straw swirling in his coffee. The mood shift in Yuuri was pretty impressive considering how fast it was. He was learning quickly that Yuuri wasn't as straightforward as he thought he would be.

"You'd be surprised." Yuuri glanced up from his bagel and grinned in amusement. "There's always your pick-up lines, your personalized tennis racquets, your car is always an easy one, your cafe orders..."

Viktor tilted his head slightly at the last one. "My orders? And my racquets are quite the treasures, might I add. I am very proud of them, but what about my cafe orders?" He glanced down at what he ordered and then at Yuuri's small meal questionably. They were almost identical. Yuuri must've seen his confusion because he broke into laughter once more.

"I just thought it was... so one stereotype of tennis players is they all order iced coffees and hardly eat anything. I was just thinking of it when I saw what you ordered... I told you it wasn't that funny. It's just something stupid I thought of." Yuuri sheepishly gazed back down at his bagel and instead picked up his hot chocolate, carefully taking a sip from it.

Viktor could only stare blankly at him because he didn't know what to say. Until it hit him. "Yuuri."

"Yes?"

"Want to hear something stupid I've been thinking of?"

"Um sure?"

Viktor leaned forward against the table with his elbows and smiled. "If I walked a millimeter for every time I thought of you, I would have walked across the Earth a million times." He almost applauded himself for the dark blush that crossed Yuuri's face.

"That was just as bad as the first one." Yuuri began picking at his bagel again, avoiding Viktor's eyes.

"Hm? Really? I thought it worked out nicely."

The rest of their "date" mostly consisted of Viktor throwing pick-up lines wherever he could and him trying to teach Yuuri how to say Vitya. It was upsetting when Yuuri said it right but immediately dismissed the nickname once Viktor started gushing about the way it sounded. Another upset was when they finally had to leave, since Yuuri claimed he had a paper to write and that simply writing that it was Viktor's fault it wasn't done wouldn't count towards credit for the assignment. Viktor didn't waste a second at all, talking about everything and anything to fill any silence that threatened to break the flow of conversation. It was later than he expected when he dropped Yuuri off at his dorm and drove up to his own. He found the silence that hung in the air due to Yuuri no longer being there saddening. He hoped it wouldn't last long.

.

. . .

.

"So how was your date with Yuuri?" Chris stopped scrolling through his phone to look up at Viktor, who had just strolled into the room wearing the biggest grin he had seen in awhile. "I assume it went well."

"Better than just well. I want to show him the journal, Chris. I think I can show him now." He threw himself onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling, a wide grin still plastered on his face. As he remembered every time Yuuri blushed, he could only feel the grin grow wider. Having Yuuri in his life felt so easy. So right. Now all he wanted to do was confirm what he knew about the dreams. Whether or not he was having them too was driving him crazy. If they were having the same dreams, then maybe they were meant for each other. Maybe they were meant to meet.

"Didn't we already talk about not doing that?" Chris glanced from his phone to gaze over at Viktor, who looked like he was flying on cloud nine. "I thought you were worried about messing up the thing you two seem to have, which by the way have you asked him out yet? Phichit is suffering just as much as I am about it not being official. We can't stand listening to you two talk about each other on a daily basis."

"Yes, we did, but now I feel like I can trust him with that. I think he'll answer me honestly, too. Wait, did you say that Yuuri talks about me daily to his friend, too? That's so cute! I should bring that up the next time, or will that get me on his friend's bad side...?"

"Vitya, focus. If you're one hundred percent sure everything will be fine, then I say go for it. I just don't want you to mess this up. I don't know what I'd do if I have to hear about your loss for the rest of my life. I don't think I'd be able to handle that." Chris leaned against his right arm, ditching his phone onto his bed for now.

"I'm sure it will be. Chris, I'll make sure it's perfect. I'll time it right and everything. We can go for a cute picnic maybe, and then I'll present the journal to him. He'll gasp in surprise that we're having the dreams together, and we'll start talking about them and what they mean. Tada! Then our bond will be stronger than before, and I'll officially ask him out!" Viktor sat up on his bed with a jolt and beamed in excitement at Chris. It was hard to imagine that anything bad would happen. It was supposed to be nice out the next day, too, so it was like Mother Nature was on his side. "I'm going to text Yuuri now and ask if he'll join me. Or is it too soon? Should I wait a bit since we both just got back? Will he think I'm pushy?"

"Vitya, just text him already. I don't think he'll mind being asked out again by you."

"I hope so!" Viktor whipped out his phone and speedily wrote a quick text explaining his plans for the next day to Yuuri. A favorable response came his way a few moments later, stirring his excitement further. "This'll be great, Chris. Everything will be sorted out and dealt with! I won't have to overthink them anymore."

"Whatever you say, Viktor. Don't do anything stupid because I'm not bailing you out when you do."

"You won't have to."

.

. . .

.

"Can I show you something, Yuuri?" It was a beautiful day considering how it wasn't twenty below zero today or snowing like it had been every other day. Viktor dragged Yuuri out of the comforts of his dorm room to go have a picnic on the quad underneath the shade of one of the biggest trees lining the open field on a stone bench. If it wasn't for them still having to wear coats and a few layers, then he would've said it was nice out. The change of weather was definitely encouraging for quite a few students since a lot were outside just like they were.

Yuuri began worrying his bottom lip with his teeth as Viktor turned towards him on the bench they sat on. The cool air signifying that it was still almost winter breezed by them, sending his raven locks flying around his head as he burrowed further into his navy coat. "Sure. What is it?" He didn't know why he was nervous. Maybe it was the strange look Viktor was giving him or even the way the other seemed to let out an anxious puff of breath after he agreed. Whatever it was, Yuuri was on-edge.

Yuuri watched on nervously as Viktor reached into the bag on his right and pulled out a leather bound journal of some sort. It was dark brown and clearly worn with age. Viktor held the journal against his chest as his ice blue eyes met Yuuri's own coffee-colored ones before setting it in Yuuri's hands. Yuuri looked down at the journal and traced a finger along its cover before gazing back at Viktor. He was sitting frigid, as still as a statue, as he averted his attention to the journal. His curiosity peaked at the tension that overtook Viktor.

"Open it." Viktor's words almost fell into the wind with how quiet they were.

Glancing back down at the journal, Yuuri carefully opened it to the first page. It was a brief introduction page that explained a little about Viktor and then about the journal. It was a bit confusing to follow since it mentioned something about why he started writing in the journal. He side-eyed Viktor from the corner of his eye and noticed the intense gaze fixated on the book in his hands as well as his right knee that had begun to shake up and down violently. Yuuri went back to reading and flipped to the next page. There were thousands of notes written across the page riddled with question marks placed around the page. Every corner was covered with words of some kind. After just looking at it, Yuuri began reading what the words actually said. And then it hit him. Hard. His eyes scanned the pages open faster, unable to really process what they were telling him. Dreams. The journal was about _dreams_ Viktor was having.

He shoved his discomfort down and flipped through a few more pages. It was becoming harder and harder to really focus on anything written down. Everything he had written about was exactly what Yuuri had experienced in his own dreams. He would be lying if he said he wasn't terrified. The world was spinning around him and his head began to hurt, while his heart hammered in his chest. His flipping increased as more details of the stories were written down. Not being able to handle any more of it, Yuuri closed the book louder than he meant to, his grip on it turning his knuckles white with the pressure. He felt like he was going to be sick.

 _Viktor was having the same dreams as Yuuri_. He didn't want to check the dates of the journal entries that were placed in the top corners of the pages. That would only make it worse. He gulped as he stared blankly at the cover of the journal, unsure of what to make of anything. It was almost impossible to breathe.

"Well?" Viktor's voice barely reached his ears due to the noise from his heart. He needed to give Viktor an answer, though. He just didn't know what seemed right because thinking was becoming a challenge.

"It's uh... interesting..." Yuuri's grip on the journal tightened. He was unable to look at Viktor. Viktor would be too concerned and curious for sure if he saw the way Yuuri was reacting to this. The dreams were his own problem, so why was this happening? How long had Viktor been having them? They were clearly having the same ones and most likely at the same time. Yuuri wasn't going to check that, though. "Why do you care so much for dreams?" His voice was harsher than he meant for it to be, but he was too scared of the new revelation placed before him.

"I... I don't know. I just thought they were odd. I was beginning to think they meant something." Did he sound hopeful? _Why?_

"Why would dreams mean anything? They're only dreams. You wasted your time with this." Yuuri was shaking. He could feel it in himself. Why? Why did Viktor show him this? Did he know that Yuuri had them? He only ever witnessed Yuuri having one by accident, and it wasn't even that long. How could he _possibly_ know? Was he testing Yuuri?

"Ah... you might be right." Now he was disappointed. _Why?_ "Yuuri, are you okay?"

Yuuri pulled his arm away when Viktor tried to place one of his own on his. Yuuri stood up quickly and thrust the journal back in Viktor's arms. How had a perfect day turned so miserable? Why did the dreams always come back to haunt him? "I'm fine. I-I have to go. I forgot I have something to do. Bye, Viktor." He grabbed his own back and bolted in the direction of his dorm room, praying that Phichit was there. This was too much for himself to handle. If Viktor gave him any kind of response, it flew right over his head. The last thing he needed was to see him. Why was everything against him ever being happy or content?

He whipped out his phone as he continued to sprint and sent a text Phichit's way, telling him to be at the room as fast as possible before thrusting it back in the pocket of his jeans. Nothing was making sense. Yuuri shook his head and ran as fast as his legs could carry him, not expecting to be thrown back like he was by a pull on his jacket. It wasn't until he let himself catch his breath and somewhat calm his ever-growing heartbeat that he turned around to see what had happened. He had hoped whatever it was wasn't what he was now facing. Viktor was currently holding him in his arms and seemed like he wasn't going to let go anytime soon.

"I caught up to you." He was panting from the exertion running brought, his cheeks flushed from the cold and sudden movement. "Yuuri, why?"

How could he even begin to answer the other? Instead of even trying to think of something, he started to push against Viktor's chest, hoping for him to let go. He needed Phichit, not Viktor right now. "Let go!"

"Please, Yuuri. Relax. Tell me what's wrong. You can trust me."

He didn't want to hear those words, not after what he was just shown in that journal. His struggle began more apparent as he tried to break Viktor's grip around him. It was more difficult that he hoped for, but that was probably due to the other's athletic ability. "Let me go, Viktor!" Yuuri could feel the eyes of bystanders boring into them, but he couldn't find it in him to care. He just needed to leave. If creating a scene was what he had to do, then so be it.

Viktor hugged Yuuri closer despite the struggles of the younger male. "Shh... relax. I don't understand what's wrong. If you could just explain..."

"I can't!" He didn't realize he was doing it, but he could feel the hot trail of tears marking tracks down his cheeks. "I can't! Let me go." His voice was getting quieter, but his legs were starting to give out underneath him. It was a blur to Yuuri, but Viktor must've lowered them to the ground. He could feel the small piles of last night's snow creeping in through the fabric of his jeans. Yuuri's head was hanging low against Viktor's shoulder, his hands pounding against Viktor's chest. "I can't. I just can't." His mind was a mess of different thoughts and didn't even know where to begin. Sticking to what he did know, Yuuri couldn't to lightly hit Viktor while throwing out words in Japanese.

"I don't know what you're saying, Yuuri. Please." Desperation was lining his words again, but Yuuri couldn't find it in himself to care. Everything he was feeling was too much and nothing was making sense and it was all Viktor's fault.

Today was ruined. Absolutely, positively ruined. All he wanted to do was forget about the dreams, but every single time he tried, something else happened that reminded him. But _this._ This was beyond even the dreams themselves. They didn't even mean anything. They held nothing, yet Viktor was having them just like Yuuri was. Before Phichit had stopped asking about them, he had looked up possible meanings of them, and neither one felt right. Except for one. One he refused to believe, even more so now that he knew Viktor was on the other side of them.

It's been said soulmates dream of their past lives spent together, mostly their last few moments together. He felt that Viktor was different, but that went above and beyond the word different. It only served to confuse him further, adding to the mess his thoughts were creating. So many possibilities he wanted to forget were resurfacing as he remembered that one conversation with Phichit again. Phichit was only making light of the dreams that ruined every good night's rest and was trying to think on the bright side of them like he did with every awful situation.

He didn't know when it happened, but somewhere between his overthinking and his inability to think, Viktor had picked him up. Yuuri didn't care to see where they were going, didn't care to hear the words Viktor was whispering to him, and didn't care that everyone was most likely watching them. Nothing mattered right now.

.

. . .

.

Phichit was in class when he got an alarming text message from Yuuri. He was sort of grateful for the message since he hated the class so much, but at the same time he was worried for his friend. Yuuri told him to get back to their room immediately, which couldn't be good. Last he checked, Yuuri was supposed to go on a not-date with Viktor today. He was hoping Viktor would've finally asked him out, but considering the urgency of the message and how soon it had come since the start of their "date", that definitely didn't happen. He quickly made an excuse up to his teacher, so he could leave. Either it happened and Yuuri was too excited that he didn't know what to do, or something bad happened. He really hoped it was the earlier one. As a heads up, he sent a text Chris's way to expect something from Viktor soon.

Phichit rushed back to the dorm room only to find everything in place just as they had left it that day. There was no sign of Yuuri anywhere. Confused, he sent a message back to his friend asking where he was and leaned against the frame of the door. His phone binged as he received a message from Chris explaining that Viktor was still with Yuuri. In his words, Yuuri was upset, but Viktor managed to fix it, which Phichit highly doubted. It wasn't that he didn't like Viktor, but he knew Yuuri. If Yuuri was upset about something, it took a lot more than soothing words and a backrub to get him back into shape. That meant Chris was lying to him, so Viktor could fix the mess he apparently made.

Not having any of it, Phichit shut the door to his dorm room and stalked down the hallway. From what he remembered of his conversation with Yuuri, they were supposed to go out to the quad. Yuuri said something about how they might go somewhere after since Viktor had something to show him, but he didn't really know where. Phichit's only hope was to find them out on the quad.

After a few minutes of scanning every direction on his way to the quad, he finally made it. A lot of students were milling around, either messing with their friends, studying, or just enjoying the small glimpse of the sun from behind the clouds. He immediately regretted not grabbing a coat, but his friend was more important than getting himself a red nose and slight cough. The more he explored the field, the more disappointed he got. Yuuri was nowhere to be seen, and he would be able to pick him out of hundreds in a crowd. Not good.

Viktor's platinum hair was nowhere either, which meant they were together just like he thought. Chris intended to give them space, but there was no way Yuuri wanted that. He had a sense for this kind of thing. It came with a friendship of five years. Annoyed at the discovery but determined to find them, he texted Chris along with a few others he knew that didn't have class that maybe saw them. It took another few minutes of searching and two helpful responses before he found the duo.

They were sitting in the gazebo by the lake that was almost considered off-campus. Viktor's back was to him, while a lump, Phichit assumed to be Yuuri, was lying down with his head on Viktor's lap. He crossed the distance in no time and coughed to let Viktor know of his presence. The very familiar platinum hair swung around and suddenly bright blue eyes were scanning Phichit's eyes.

"You're-"

"What happened?" Phichit wasn't going to dance around what happened, especially since Yuuri was involved. He made it his job to protect Yuuri if he could. Crossing his arms over his chest, Phichit placed the majority of his weight on his left leg, tapping his foot impatiently against the snow-covered grass.

Viktor seemed to contemplate his answer, looking back at Yuuri before meeting his gaze again. "I don't know..."

"You don't know?" It was amusing to see Viktor flinch under his scrutiny. "What made him upset, Viktor? It's not that hard of a question." He wasn't trying to be so hard on the other, but if Viktor was the cause of this, then he deserved it.

Viktor glanced down at Yuuri again. "I showed him something, and I guess it made him mad. He wouldn't tell me why. Unless he did, and I just didn't get it because I don't speak Japanese." He sighed and returned his attention to Phichit, who was conflicted about the whole thing.

"What'd you show him?"

"A journal I have."

Phichit tried to piece together why that would upset his best friend but came up short with no answer. "Was there something in said journal that set him off?" Viktor wasn't telling the whole truth. That much was obvious.

"There might have been something..."

"Can I see the journal?"

Viktor didn't say anything right away, but his eyes spoke volumes. He clearly didn't want Phichit looking in it but knew that he was probably going to have to give it up. He then pointed to a black bag at the entrance of the gazebo. Phichit rose an eyebrow at the gesture and made his way hesitantly to the bag. "It's in there."

Phichit unzipped the bag and flipped past a few notebooks and folders before finding what must've been the journal. "This right?" A nod from the tennis player was his answer. He took the journal into his hands and sat down on the other side of the gazebo. He flicked his glance from Viktor, who was gently carding his fingers through Yuuri's hair, to Yuuri's sleeping figure. Phichit turned back to the journal and flipped it open. It only took a few look-throughs to understand why Yuuri was upset, but he couldn't openly say why to Viktor. "What is this?"

"I've kept a journal of every realistic or recurring dream I've had. I thought they meant something, so I started trying to figure out how they're connected or what they mean. I showed it to Yuuri, who got upset after flicking through it. He sounded irritated that I cared so much for them, but I don't know why."

 _It's because he's been having the same dreams at the same time._ Phichit kept that thought to himself as he nodded and continued to flip through the many dreams Viktor wrote about. He didn't miss the sound of Viktor's voice reaching an octave higher, maybe in hope, expectation, or anxiousness. It was hard to tell. It was as if he was waiting for Phichit to give him the answer he thought of. "Viktor, I..." It was exciting to know they both shared the same dreams, but then again he had to look at it from Yuuri's perspective not his own. This was Yuuri's to handle. "This is Yuuri's to tell not mine, but I will tell you one thing. Keep trying. I don't think you're far off." Phichit gave Viktor a strained smile and closed the journal. "Just be careful. His heart is as fragile as glass, and you're about to crush it. You have to be ready to handle that. Can you?"

Viktor drank in every word Phichit spoke before gazing down at Yuuri and brushing a stray lock out of his face. "Yes." He looked back up at Phichit. "I can."

"Don't think I can't find you if you mess up. Yuuri is my best friend, and I don't like seeing him get hurt. He needs encouragement if you want answers."

"I promise I won't hurt him."

Phichit softened his expression as he looked between the duo. "I know. I trust you. I can only help push him to make the right decision, so you have to do the rest yourself." He stood up and set the journal next to where Viktor was sitting. "Good luck and return him when you're done."

"Thank you. I promise I will." Viktor waved at Phichit, who took a quick photo of the two before leaving them alone.

.

. . .

.

 _"Your Highness, the people are calling for order. Nikiforov is ready to storm the castle walls. We need to act."_

 _I pace down the hallway while nobilities of different status flank either side of me. Because of a misjudgement of mine, I have foolishly brought the country into bankruptcy. "Call on the court. Send Nikiforov a message for me as well. I want him and a select few to sit in on the meeting to discuss plans for France's future today. We shall come to an agreement together and work through these troubling times."_

 _"Are you sure about this, Your Highness? What if one of them tries to attack you? Nikiforov won't stop at anything to get what he wants."_

 _"This will work for the best. I need you and the rest of the court to trust me." We turn past a corner and make our way through the main doors that lead to the central meeting hall. "I want every here within the hour."_

 _"Yes, Your Highness."_

 _I slump against the podium set up in front of my chair centered in the room. It's times like these that I regret taking the throne after my father. My reign is surely about to come to its end, and I can't see it being saved. I have doomed France, and now riots litter the streets around every corner led by Viktor Nikiforov. He's called a god among men to the townspeople who believe in his cause, and I can't find it in myself to disagree. He's right about all he has claimed and would lead this country better than I have so far. His opinions and decisions are trusted more as well._

 _As I wanted, everyone gathers within the stuffy meeting hall and among the members is Nikiforov. His presence is more noticeable than the officials and nobility and is well-respected by those standing by him. I can't help but be drawn to him as well._

 _"Your Highness, I speak for the middle class and would like to explain our conditions and struggles that you have put us through. The reason we go against the taxes you have begun to put upon us are cruel and unfair based on a misjudgement of your own. The townspeople are suffering in more ways than you can think as you lie down in your gold-embellished bed. We demand answers."_

 _"You cannot demand anything from your king!" A guard to my left readies his hand on the sword he carries on his waist, staring down Nikiforov in a battle he is losing. I throw my arm out in front of him and close my eyes for a brief moment._

 _"He is no king of mine!"_

 _The words hurt more than they should, and I can't tell if it's because it's him saying those words or because it is one of my subjects saying so. "I demand order." I face Nikiforov with a soft but confident gaze. He narrows his eyes at me, and expression of pure hatred. I never meant to be on the other side of that glance, but there is hardly anything I can do now. "I will hear you and your comrades out. I would like nothing more than to reach an agreement and bring our country to a better place. Do continue, Nikiforov." I can hear the guard beside me sneer._

 _"Thank you." There is no kindness in his voice that the words imply. "For one, food has become harder and harder to buy or sell. For the taxes you have placed on us have increased the workload we carry. Our work becomes fruitless when we can't sell whatever it may be that we sell or create. This is the most troubling problem within this country. i do not suffer through it alone, but with the rest of my countrymen." Each movement he makes sends his platinum hair in a swirl around his head. It is something I didn't mean to notice, but I find myself following its movements. He talks as if he was born a noble as well. His posture makes him seem taller than he is and holds him above the court. I find myself wondering how he isn't a part of my court. He seems more competent that the other nobles I surround myself with._

 _And then I realize the court is waiting for my reply. I try not to let the embarrassment of the situation I was just caught in show as I cough into my hand and gaze at ice blue eyes. "I understand your concern with the levies put in place. We can try to lower them for the time being, but it will be hard to maintain that for very long."_

 _A noble from across the hall speaks up in defiance at the notion. "Impossible. We can't afford to lower them. We would have to diminish our military in response. If we lower our defenses, our enemies will destroy us. Famine is but a small price to pay for our current state of peace. We cannot risk that!"_

 _"If I may Your Highness, you cannot afford to lose your country's support. If you lose that, you lose all of those enlisted in your military. It would be safe to lower the taxes to gain their support and trust once more in order to build up a newer military. This decision is easier than you think to make. I would hope that you choose the wiser option."_

 _"i must interject, Your Highness. That would require us to rebuild our entire military. I cannot afford the time to do that! That would give our enemies more than enough time to attack."_

 _"I can see where you get that, Lord Jean-Jacques Leroy, but we cannot simply dismiss Nikiforov's statements. I propose a compromise. What if we open our ports and trade with countries farther away? It would take awhile, but the townspeople would gain money, and taxes would be able to stay in place, if not become lower over time."_

 _"Absolutely not!"_

 _"I agree with you, Your Highness."_

 _I internally groan at Lord Leroy's rejection. He hardly ever approves of anything that doesn't benefit himself. At least Nikiforov is on board with the idea. "Where do you see fault in the idea, Lord Leroy?"_

 _"It's Lord JJ, Your Highness. If we open the ports, the enemies can use that as an entrance to attack us quicker than if they were to do so at our borders."_

 _"Then send military officers to guard the ports."_

 _The rest of the meeting was spent with both sides arguing different points while nothing got accomplished. It was torturous to sit in the middle of the debate and try to find a solution that would satisfy both sides. I step down from my seat and as I start to walk in the direction of the other nobility, Nikiforov approaches me. The guards standing at my sides step in front of his path, staring him down as best as they can._

 _"I wish to speak to the King in privacy."_

 _"Do you really think we're dumb enough to let that happen? Dismiss yourself, Nikiforov. You're time is done here."_

 _"Stand down. I trust him." The guards look at me incredulously as I step between them and move in front of Nikiforov. "If there is a problem, I will call for help. Stand close by if you do not trust my opinion on the matter." The guards back down immediately, and I lead the way down a somewhat secluded hallway._

 _"What matters do you wish to bring to my attention?" I try my hardest to stand confidently against him, but he can tell it's merely an act. It's easy to see that he can read through me._

 _"King Katsuki, it's not like I don't trust you, but you've brought ruin to the country with previous decisions. I strongly recommend you do what you know is right. I can tell you know. Open the ports. It will bring profit to the city, and we'll become prosperous because of it." He reaches forward steadies a hand along the lapels running across my chest that steady the cape along my shoulders. The action is one I shouldn't accept from someone of his status, but I can't find it in myself to shove him away._

 _"I-I can try my best. I will do what I think is just and fair for all."_

 _"Good. I have faith that you will." He leans in closer than he should, his bright blue eyes boring into my own wide brown ones. "Good luck, King Katsuki."_

 _"Thank you, Nikiforov."_

 _"It's Viktor."_

 _"V-Viktor."_

 _._

 _. . ._

 _._

Viktor tensed as Yuuri shot up from his spot on Viktor's lap. He seemed dazed and confused, rubbing at his bleary eyes. He didn't want to face Yuuri so soon, but he had to fix the mess he had created. "Hi, Yuuri."

Yuuri tensed as well when he heard the words and turned to see Viktor holding a strained smile across his lips. The shock of seeing him so close brought back moments from the dream he had just witnessed in waves, terrifying him more than he already was before he had apparently fallen asleep. Viktor had been the person from his dreams, his lover in so many different timelines. It was weird to think about, but it made him angry yet sad at the same time. They've met so many times before, but never lived long enough to truly enjoy the other's presence. It was unbearable to think about. What frustrated him was that because of the dreams, it almost felt like he had an obligation to like Viktor in that way. It felt wrong to have something like love decided for you. Whether the dreams were supposed to be a reminder or as a means to set them up again in another timeline, they still made him angry. Nothing would dull that ache.

"Why are you..."

"You fell asleep. I decided not to wake you, and let you sleep since you looked so peaceful."

He blushed despite the embarrassment, anger, and frustration he felt.

"I'm sorry, Yuuri. I really am. Whatever it was that upset you before, I didn't mean to do that to you. I just wanted to show you something that I hardly show anyone. Chris found that journal by mistake and read it without my permission, but you were the first to read from it because I asked. I didn't realize it would be too much. That was incredibly selfish of me, and I'm truly sorry." Viktor apologetically bowed his head, his platinum bangs covering his closed eyes.

"It's fine. I'm... I'm not mad." Whether it was to stop Viktor from rambling on or end the conversation, Yuuri didn't know. The words weren't really the truth, but he wasn't lying either. Yes, he was upset, but not as much as he was before. "I guess I started hoping it wouldn't be you."

"What do you mean, Yuuri?"

Maybe he hadn't had a clear enough dream yet. "I have the same dreams..." He didn't want to say those words. He hardly wanted to think about them. Knowing as much as he did now made him wish for the days where none of this happened. He found himself wishing for the days where he would marathon movies with Phichit until the crack of dawn even if they had classes the next day. All of this was too much for him, and it was coming too fast. It was hard to process that this was really happening.

"I knew it." The breath Viktor let go surprised him just as much as his newest dream did. He knew? How? When did he figure it out? "It's you. That makes so much sense. I had the sneaking suspicion you did but didn't know for sure. I was hoping you'd say yes. That's great! What do you think they mean?" Viktor's enthusiasm startled Yuuri, since he couldn't share in the excitement. Viktor noticed the shift in Yuuri and tried to reign in his thrill over the revelation.

"I don't want to know what they mean. I don't want something like dreams that keep me up at night to determine anything about who I am. I don't care why I have them. I just want them to end. I want to stop seeing a new one every night. I want to be able to sleep for once. I most certainly wish they never existed." The words were the truth, as hard and cold as they were. The dreams were only ruining him, not helping him in any way, especially since Viktor hasn't seen one clear enough to know who the other person in his dreams was. For all he knew, he could've been dreaming about someone else entirely. The thought stung more than he thought it would, but just as he said it was the truth. And that was that.

"I see. I won't bring them up again. I promise." Viktor didn't seem to be smiling as brightly as he did earlier in the day before all of this happened. It was that strained smile that seemed painful to keep on, which irritated Yuuri more. It was his fault that Viktor was trying so hard to smile regardless of how fake it looked. It was his fault that they couldn't resume a normal conversation now. It was his fault this day and possibly whatever they had was ruined. Everything was always his fault.

"It doesn't matter. I have to go." Yuuri stood up with a little difficulty at first but soon made his way out of the gazebo, leaving Viktor behind without so much as a glance. It was his fault Viktor was mad at him and no longer cared for him. He knew it wasn't going to last anyway. Viktor was leagues above him, so it only made sense that they stopped talking anyway. What better time to end it then now? They had more than half a year left before Viktor was gone from the school, so it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

It was surprising to feel the tears on his face again, but even more so to find out just how much it hurt to think that way. It was for the better he had to tell himself. He had to let go of Viktor. He was only tying him down, and now the dreams were pushing them further and further away from each other. The pain felt worse as he made his way across the quad with his head held low. Viktor wasn't trying to stop him. Viktor wasn't trying to talk to him. Viktor let him go.

And somehow that was even worse.


End file.
